Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 1603

HarryT · 05-11-2016, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam2016

I'm currently reading Lazarus Suspended the first book of the Good Death series by Doug McGovern off of kindle-unlimited.

Crazy new start up series that I was lucky to find from the guys Facebook profile. It's a compelling story that discusses the ethics of botched euthanasia, especially when others impose it upon the patient. Has elements of an old Gothic novel like Frankenstein but its more of a Medical Thriller as it has all those technical pieces in it. It reminds you of what would happen if the Silence of the Lambs merged with one of those hospital dramas like Grey's Anatomy. The cast is really interesting too. It has a Hitler-type female lead antagonist and a powerful female protagonist and a conflicted male anti-hero. Definitely worth a look-see.

What is your connection with the author? This sounds like flagrant advertising.

Mort1997 · 05-11-2016, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

What is your connection with the author? This sounds like flagrant advertising.

Bad advertising - reading that description made me want to avoid it!

Rumpelteazer · 05-12-2016, 03:53 AM

I've finished The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi.
An okay thriller, though I though the plot was a bit convoluted. It's the first in a series, but I won't be continuing with it.

drjd · 05-12-2016, 03:56 AM

Finished Widows Wear Weeds by Erle Stanley Gardner, a cozy detective story, and another non fiction book Indus Valley Civilization: Enigmatic, Exemplary, and Undeciphered by Charise Joy Javonillo. Basically it was a research thesis beginning with settlement patterns, special attention paid to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and specifically to the urban layout of these two exemplary cities and the Indus’ sphere of influence as suggested by possible interaction with Mesopotamia, including motifs found in artwork and seals. Nice compilation.

Next up (1967) - Traps Need Fresh Bait by Erle Stanley Gardner. Second last book in Cool and Lam series.

pdurrant · 05-12-2016, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: A recent freebie by a known author: A Feral Darkness by Doranna Durgin

So far so good. Although more of a romance than I usually read, there's enough fantasy elements to keep me interested.

It was OK. A bit too much (completely obvious, formulaic) romance for my taste, but not to the extent that the fantasy is an afterthought.

Next up: Berseker by Steven Jordan.

An Indie I bought back in 2008. I did try reading another of his long ago, but got a bit bogged down. This one seems more readable.

HarryT · 05-12-2016, 10:13 AM

Just finished "Hamlet, Revenge!", by Michael Innes, which is the second book in his "Inspector Appleby" series of detective novels. Appleby is called in to investigate when the Lord Chancellor of England is murdered while taking part in an amateur production of "Hamlet" at an English country house. This is a very long and complex, but extremely satisfying, detective story in the best tradition of the "golden age" of English detective fiction. The best crime novel I've read in a very long time, and I thoroughly recommend it. It was voted #68 in the Crime Writers' Association Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (which would, in itself, be a worthwhile reading challenge for someone).

Pulpmeister · 05-12-2016, 10:52 AM

I was surprised to see that I've read about 80 of the first list, and over 70 of the second. That's probably because I have been seeking the "classics" of the genre over the last few years, as I have with SF.

"Hamlet, Revenge!" was one off my recent reads.

You can always argue "best" lists indefinitely, and say Why not so-and-so? but those two lists are pretty good selections. Of Elmore Leonard's, I prefer "Glitz" to "Stick", but of course it's a matter of opinion.

Apache · 05-12-2016, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just finished "Hamlet, Revenge!", by Michael Innes, which is the second book in his "Inspector Appleby" series of detective novels. Appleby is called in to investigate when the Lord Chancellor of England is murdered while taking part in an amateur production of "Hamlet" at an English country house. This is a very long and complex, but extremely satisfying, detective story in the best tradition of the "golden age" of English detective fiction. The best crime novel I've read in a very long time, and I thoroughly recommend it. It was voted #68 in the Crime Writers' Association Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (which would, in itself, be a worthwhile reading challenge for someone).

Thank you, this does sound interesting and I will check it out.
Apache

orlok · 05-12-2016, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

...It was voted #68 in the Crime Writers' Association Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (which would, in itself, be a worthwhile reading challenge for someone).

Thanks for the idea. I might just contemplate doing this for my 2017 challenge. I'm a big fine of crime fiction, though this could just be a step too far...

HarryT · 05-12-2016, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orlok

Thanks for the idea. I might just contemplate doing this for my 2017 challenge. I'm a big fine of crime fiction, though this could just be a step too far...

You could always skip the ones you've already read which, if you're already a reader of crime novels, is probably a significant number.

CRussel · 05-12-2016, 05:46 PM

Both lists appear to have more "Action/Adventure/Spy" stuff in them than just crime/mystery fiction, though I thought the MWA list was a bit more balanced. (And I'd read 28 of them already, though some I don't remember all that well.) Only 21 of the CWA list. It could be an interesting challenge, however. I'd likely skip the ones I've read in the last 10 years, but that still leaves a lot.

Hampshire Nanny · 05-12-2016, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It was voted #68 in the Crime Writers' Association Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (which would, in itself, be a worthwhile reading challenge for someone).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

I was surprised to see that I've read about 80 of the first list, and over 70 of the second. That's probably because I have been seeking the "classics" of the genre over the last few years, as I have with SF.

I liked the "all time" aspect of the lists. Looked at Wikipedia for an equivalent for SF. Didn't find anything. Searched Google and found quite a few SF/F lists, but none of them seemed to fit the "of all time" criterion, and some of them seemed to be more of a popularity list. I'd welcome a pointer to a good list of "must read" SF -- most of which I've probably already read, but's it's still good to have a yardstick to measure against.

HarryT · 05-13-2016, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hampshire Nanny

I liked the "all time" aspect of the lists. Looked at Wikipedia for an equivalent for SF. Didn't find anything. Searched Google and found quite a few SF/F lists, but none of them seemed to fit the "of all time" criterion, and some of them seemed to be more of a popularity list. I'd welcome a pointer to a good list of "must read" SF -- most of which I've probably already read, but's it's still good to have a yardstick to measure against.

Probably worth creating a new thread to ask. I don't want to take this one too far off topic

.

orlok · 05-13-2016, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

You could always skip the ones you've already read which, if you're already a reader of crime novels, is probably a significant number.

My thoughts exactly. I've already read at least 34 of them, and possibly more, so I'm already a third of the way there.

pdurrant · 05-13-2016, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Berseker by Steven Jordan.

An Indie I bought back in 2008. I did try reading another of his long ago, but got a bit bogged down. This one seems more readable.

Readable, but not worth it. Plot holes abound, and I don't believe the background at all. I think I'm just going to give up on this author.

Next up: Ring of Fire IV edited by Eric Flint. Another collection of stories in his 1632 universe by professional writers.

But the Virginia DeMarce one is, as usual, a confusing mess. I think it's that she's so familiar with the vast cast of characters that she's happy dotting about all over the place. But I just can't keep up and get lost.

The David Brin one is very good. I started out thinking that surely he's missed a bit of background that's now canon. But he hasn't.

I'm about half way through so far.

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05-12-2016, 03:53 AM	#24033
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,401 Karma: 27919658 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I've finished The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi. An okay thriller, though I though the plot was a bit convoluted. It's the first in a series, but I won't be continuing with it.

05-12-2016, 03:56 AM	#24034
drjd The Couch Potato Posts: 34,509 Karma: 230999999 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Touch, Archos 9, Onyx Boox C67ML Carta	Finished Widows Wear Weeds by Erle Stanley Gardner, a cozy detective story, and another non fiction book Indus Valley Civilization: Enigmatic, Exemplary, and Undeciphered by Charise Joy Javonillo. Basically it was a research thesis beginning with settlement patterns, special attention paid to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and specifically to the urban layout of these two exemplary cities and the Indus’ sphere of influence as suggested by possible interaction with Mesopotamia, including motifs found in artwork and seals. Nice compilation. Next up (1967) - Traps Need Fresh Bait by Erle Stanley Gardner. Second last book in Cool and Lam series.

05-12-2016, 10:13 AM	#24036
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Just finished "Hamlet, Revenge!", by Michael Innes, which is the second book in his "Inspector Appleby" series of detective novels. Appleby is called in to investigate when the Lord Chancellor of England is murdered while taking part in an amateur production of "Hamlet" at an English country house. This is a very long and complex, but extremely satisfying, detective story in the best tradition of the "golden age" of English detective fiction. The best crime novel I've read in a very long time, and I thoroughly recommend it. It was voted #68 in the Crime Writers' Association Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (which would, in itself, be a worthwhile reading challenge for someone).

05-12-2016, 10:52 AM	#24037
Pulpmeister Wizard Posts: 2,886 Karma: 29145056 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle	I was surprised to see that I've read about 80 of the first list, and over 70 of the second. That's probably because I have been seeking the "classics" of the genre over the last few years, as I have with SF. "Hamlet, Revenge!" was one off my recent reads. You can always argue "best" lists indefinitely, and say Why not so-and-so? but those two lists are pretty good selections. Of Elmore Leonard's, I prefer "Glitz" to "Stick", but of course it's a matter of opinion.

05-12-2016, 05:46 PM	#24041
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,323 Karma: 80074820 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), iPad Air M3	Both lists appear to have more "Action/Adventure/Spy" stuff in them than just crime/mystery fiction, though I thought the MWA list was a bit more balanced. (And I'd read 28 of them already, though some I don't remember all that well.) Only 21 of the CWA list. It could be an interesting challenge, however. I'd likely skip the ones I've read in the last 10 years, but that still leaves a lot.