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

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

OK, I'll bite! Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

I suspect that if I were to like a subset of the genre, it would be sci-fi where the world bore a reasonable resemblance to the one we inhabit.

Try The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. Not history, not epic, but I think you'll like it.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Try The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. Not history, not epic, but I think you'll like it.

Sounds interesting...

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by issybird

OK, I'll bite! Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

My favorite reading is history. I like the interplay of personalities and events. I read a lot of war history in the sense of the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of war. I don't like the carnage part and military strategy in itself does nothing for me; I think at least in part because spatial imagery is not a strong point.

Have you looked at Eric Flint's 1632 yet? The kickoff novel should be available for free, and if you like it, there's a veritable ton of further material in the setting.

Thumbnail sketch: West Virginia coal-mining town from 2000 gets transplanted back to the middle of the Thirty Years War. There's no getting back, so they set about making alliances while "gearing down" to a sustainable level of technology that's still well ahead of the competition.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Raising Caine by Charles E. Gannon. Third in his series about Caine Riordan.

Somehow I never really got hooked by this one. I don't know why. When I was reading it I never had any difficulty putting it down, not did I feel any urgency to pick it up again.

Next up: The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I though I ought to see what it was like. So far it's not too hot.

[orlok]

Just finished Shooting Straight: Guns, Gays, God, and George Clooney by Piers Morgan, about his time at CNN and the gun control controversy. An enjoyable read written in diary form.

Not sure what to move on to next. Toying with the idea of a graphic novel, as I haven't read one for a few years, and have The Joker: Death of the Family by Scott Snyder sitting on my bookshelf, which I bought on impulse while I was playing the Batman: Arkham Knight game.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Have you looked at Eric Flint's 1632 yet? The kickoff novel should be available for free, and if you like it, there's a veritable ton of further material in the setting.

Thumbnail sketch: West Virginia coal-mining town from 2000 gets transplanted back to the middle of the Thirty Years War. There's no getting back, so they set about making alliances while "gearing down" to a sustainable level of technology that's still well ahead of the competition.

And a lot of it is available free, do a google for "Fifth Imperium".*

* I believe these CDs are completely legitimate. If they are not, my sincere apologies.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

For humor: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

For history: The Years of Rice and Salt (Kim Stanley Robinson)
Queen City Jazz (Kathleen Goonan)

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

Okay, I am thinking that you might like some epic SF... perhaps C.S. Friedman's (didn't I mention her earlier? ) In Conquest Born, maybe Frank Herbert's Dune series, or C.J. Cherryh's Invader series. Cherryh also has a couple other series that may be of interest: Chanur, and maybe Cyteen.

On the fantasy side, try J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, which is as much a historical text as you can get.

For the humorous side, I think someone mentioned Doug Adams, and Keith Laumer's Retief of the RDC. Also, perhaps less related, Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillian books are downright hilarious.

Originally Posted by CRussel

Try The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. Not history, not epic, but I think you'll like it.

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Have you looked at Eric Flint's 1632 yet? The kickoff novel should be available for free, and if you like it, there's a veritable ton of further material in the setting.

Thank you for all the suggestions, especially when I was disrespectful of a beloved genre.

I only got as far as poohbear's suggestion yesterday. I have read THGTTG and I liked it well enough, but wasn't motivated to move on. My libraries have the Robinson title and I'm next up; I know one of his is the current read for the book club but since it's got mixed reactions it's probably not the best kiddie pool for a trepidatious swimminer.

As for the other titles, I shall look into them all. I do have a few off-the-cuff reactions. I remember the Dune series being popular in my adolescence and it didn't appeal to me then. Tolkien was someone I abandoned for all time during those years, too; from what I've heard (and I obviously could be wrong), Simarillion doesn't even grab all his fans, but that could be a reason I'd like it.

As for the rest, the names are familiar to me from these boards and I shall consider them all. And it could be serendipity as I see Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillian is today's Audible daily deal, so perhaps it's meant. I'm always in the mood for a light listen, especially on the homeward commute.

Thank you all again.

[samhy]

Currently reading Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
I don't know much about the story nor the author, but the first pages were very intriguing.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Have you looked at Eric Flint's 1632 yet? The kickoff novel should be available for free, and if you like it, there's a veritable ton of further material in the setting.

Thumbnail sketch: West Virginia coal-mining town from 2000 gets transplanted back to the middle of the Thirty Years War. There's no getting back, so they set about making alliances while "gearing down" to a sustainable level of technology that's still well ahead of the competition.

I'll bite on this one.


While I was travelling yesterday (between trying to type long posts on my tablet without a proper keyboard) I finished reading The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston.

I don't read as much of his work as I could, and every book I have read from him has been good. This one is no exception and it's mind-boggling, frankly, how freakin' messed up the entire story of this "monster" unfolded. As Preston himself notes a couple times, there's no way you could get away with writing characters as messed up as some of these real people appear to think and act.

At any rate, a good book!

Next up: In Cold Blood by Mark Dawson. The first book in a series about a (former... why is it always former?) government assassin out for revenge. It's the other freebie for the month, which brings me to a grand total of nothing spent (aside from the usual internet fees) for my reading this month.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Next up: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, April's MR Book Club selection for the "Award Winners" category.

I ended up enjoying the last 1/3 of this enough to continue the series, especially with several people saying the other two books are much better. I had a hard time keeping focused for the first 2/3. I will reserve the rest of my comments for the discussion thread on the 20th.

Next up: Green Mars, book 2, since it was available and none of my holds have come in yet. I have had "one person in line in front of you" for what seems like forever.

[KyBunnies]

Originally Posted by KyBunnies

I finished Too Dark To Sleep by Dianne Gallagher. This was a good book. I would give it 4.5 stars.

I started The Romanov Stone By Robert C. Yeager. I am enjoying the historical parts of the book. I hope to finish this book in the next day or so if I feel better.

I am DNF Gables Trilogy by Dianne Venetta. I have tried to start this series 3 or 4 different times and I cannot even get past chapter 1.

I finished The Romanov Stone By Robert C. Yeager. This was a good book. I like it. It had some very far-fetched parts that I found hard to believe. Not a 5-star WOW read for me. At most it was a 3.5-star book.

I have started The Safety Expert By Doug Richardson. I am still in chapter 1 and so far it is different. A little weird/strange.

[Dr. Drib]

Although I JUST now finished it, I want to say how much I enjoyed "The House of Silk," a Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Anthony Horowitz.

This book is riveting and the writing style is a joy.

If you love Sherlock Holmes pastiches, then I can highly recommend this book.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Although I JUST now finished it, I want to say how much I enjoyed "The House of Silk," a Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Anthony Horowitz.

This book is riveting and the writing style is a joy.

If you love Sherlock Holmes pastiches, then I can highly recommend this book.

Totally agree. I gave it 5 stars.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Have you looked at Eric Flint's 1632 yet? The kickoff novel should be available for free, and if you like it, there's a veritable ton of further material in the setting.

Thumbnail sketch: West Virginia coal-mining town from 2000 gets transplanted back to the middle of the Thirty Years War. There's no getting back, so they set about making alliances while "gearing down" to a sustainable level of technology that's still well ahead of the competition.

Originally Posted by issybird

Thank you for all the suggestions, especially when I was disrespectful of a beloved genre.

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I'll bite on this one.

I can definitely recommend 1632, which is in the Baen Free Library in whatever DRM-free format you're likely to want. It's well written, well researched, and has given me a whole new understanding of a period of history I was totally ignorant of. Yes, because it's alternate history, things change. But I don't actually care all that much about who won which war, but about the lives of the people and the culture and geography, all of which we get a real look into with this book (and some of its successors.)

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I can definitely recommend 1632, which is in the Baen Free Library in whatever DRM-free format you're likely to want. It's well written, well researched, and has given me a whole new understanding of a period of history I was totally ignorant of. Yes, because it's alternate history, things change. But I don't actually care all that much about who won which war, but about the lives of the people and the culture and geography, all of which we get a real look into with this book (and some of its successors.)

I have the feeling I picked this up before I turned against freebies. That would mean it's in my Nook library and never made it to Calibre, lol! And there it will stay. So I shall go to Bain and acquire another copy, as this could be exactly my thing.

Thank you both, Rev. Bob and Charlie!