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

[Dngrsone]

Finished Boys in Trees by Carly Simon. Again, I am not sure where I will be going from here. Just hoping it will be interesting and engaging.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

Finished Boys in Trees by Carly Simon. Again, I am not sure where I will be going from here. Just hoping it will be interesting and engaging.

The journey is its own reward!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Asimov's SF, July 2016. The latest issue.

Good, but I think this month's Analog was better.

Next up: Hell's Foundations Quiver by David Weber. I'm still tired of the names. If I ever re-read this series, I'm building up a search/replace list!

I can't help feeling he's got completely bogged down in detail and has forgotten any grand vision.

I'll finish this one, but I'm not sure if I'll bother buying the next one.

[JustinThought]

This looks like a fun (and informative!) thread, so I thought I'd throw my three-cents-worth in.

I'm turning into something of a stodgy reader, I guess. In discussions of books, I always state that I have three favorite authors--one of them still living. RAH (and if I have to explain that, well, it's kinda pointless...), John D. (ibid), and Dean Koontz. Though I do throw in Patricia Cornwell as well, just to get my dose of blood-'n-guts to round things out. I think I have (nearly) everything Heinlein ever wrote, both in paper and digital format; almost everything Koontz has ever written--except, of course, his extremely early and very hungry works of erotica; and quite a few of MacDonald's early stuff--the entire Travis McGee series, of course, and an almost equal number of other works, my favorite being The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything.

But all of MacDonald's books are good-to-great reads, mostly because of the way he develops his characters, and the fact that he is not repetitive in his situational plot lines. You can go from a corrupt real-estate developer in Florida, then transition to the inner workings of a megachurch "business" without even skipping a beat.

I also enjoy reading some of the old Michael Shayne books, just for perspective, but I can't say I'm as excited about those as I was forty or fifty years ago.

But those are the primary books that are occupying my Samsung tablet's SD card. You'll also find Philip Jose Farmer's Ringworld series sitting there, partially re-read; and a smattering of Tom Clancy pretty much collecting digital dust over there on the top shelf.

I'd probably be able to work my way through these collectibles faster if I wasn't borderline OCD and insist on noting every typo I find and entering the corrections into my evolving digital e-book format as I go along--which is the original reason I ran across this forum!

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by JustinThought

Philip Jose Farmer's Ringworld series

Uh... I'm pretty sure Ringworld is Larry Niven.

Are you thinking Riverworld, perhaps?

At any rate, welcome to the forums and the thread. This is a certainly a good place to find new and interesting reads, as we occasionally dispense mini-reviews of the things we read (or quit).

[Cinisajoy]

I am reading Spore 7 by Clancy Carlile.
https://www.amazon.com/Spore-7-Clanc...=1&*entries*=0
It is science fiction about a virus.

[JustinThought]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

Uh... I'm pretty sure Ringworld is Larry Niven.

Are you thinking Riverworld, perhaps?

At any rate, welcome to the forums and the thread. This is a certainly a good place to find new and interesting reads, as we occasionally dispense mini-reviews of the things we read (or quit).

Oops. I'm pretty sure you're right.

Riverworld is on my SIM card, too. Also partially re-read. Both those series got spiked while I catch up on some more of MacDonald's work.

[taosaur]

Just finished up Neal Stephenson's 3000 page (according to his afterword--hard to track on a Kindle) Baroque Cycle

Wow. Trust Stephenson to build a rip-roaring adventure (with considerable, equally enjoyable asides, granted) around the life and times of Isaac Newton. During the reading I described it as a dark comedy telling of the early days of the scientific revolution. Having finished, I would call it a massive fairy tale that just happens to be populated with prominent scientists, monarchs, and other historical figures. I'm tempted to give the whole thing another go on audio quite soon

[HarryT]

Finished "The Isle Beyond Time", by L. Warren Douglas, which I bought from Baen in 2003. An excellent conclusion to a fantasy trilogy (the other two books being "The Sacred Pool" and "The Veil of Years"). The books are set in Brittany in the centuries following the collapse of the Roman Empire, and are based on ancient legends of the area. A "thinking person's" fantasy series that's not an easy read, but which more than repays the effort put into it. Very highly recommended.

This finally completes my Baen books for March 2003, which has been quite a lengthy process, because it contained two 3-book omnibuses, and the continuation of a series that I needed to re-read from the start, so 10 books in all for the month. April 2003 should be quicker, although I'm still only managing to get through a year's worth of Baen books in a year, so I'm no nearer to catching up .

[drjd]

Originally Posted by drjd

Next will be The D.A. Breaks a Seal, the seventh book in The D.A. series by Gardner.

The young D.A., Doug Selby is adopted in the army in the wartime as a Major, and had to resign from his duties as the district attorney of the Madison City. The new D.A., Carl Gifford appointed in his place is bent on political plums and pettiness. Doug comes back on his five-day furlough and finds his friend, the Sheriff, in a grave situation and can not restrict himself matching wits with a murderer, and the shrewd criminal lawyer with a facile tongue and a million-dollar client... Very good story, highly recommended for a read.

Next up, The D.A. Takes a Chance, eighth book in this series by Erle Stanley Gardner.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Finished "The Isle Beyond Time", by L. Warren Douglas, which I bought from Baen in 2003. An excellent conclusion to a fantasy trilogy (the other two books being "The Sacred Pool" and "The Veil of Years"). The books are set in Brittany in the centuries following the collapse of the Roman Empire, and are based on ancient legends of the area. A "thinking person's" fantasy series that's not an easy read, but which more than repays the effort put into it. Very highly recommended.

This finally completes my Baen books for March 2003, which has been quite a lengthy process, because it contained two 3-book omnibuses, and the continuation of a series that I needed to re-read from the start, so 10 books in all for the month. April 2003 should be quicker, although I'm still only managing to get through a year's worth of Baen books in a year, so I'm no nearer to catching up .

Thanks for the review and pointer. I have all three books, but for some reason, never got around to reading them. I'll have to stick them in my to be read list.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by taosaur

Just finished up Neal Stephenson's 3000 page (according to his afterword--hard to track on a Kindle) Baroque Cycle

Wow. Trust Stephenson to build a rip-roaring adventure (with considerable, equally enjoyable asides, granted) around the life and times of Isaac Newton. During the reading I described it as a dark comedy telling of the early days of the scientific revolution. Having finished, I would call it a massive fairy tale that just happens to be populated with prominent scientists, monarchs, and other historical figures. I'm tempted to give the whole thing another go on audio quite soon

These are the first ebooks I paid for. That was quite a few years ago, and I am somehow doubting I'd be able to access the files anymore (DRM being what it is, and the company I purchased through having been bought and sold a few times), but I should dust them off for an attempt at a reread...

[LovesMacs]

I'm reading Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers but I just can't get into the story. The premise is that a celebrated mystery author returns to her alma mater, where someone has been sending nasty letters and other mischief.

I know that this book and this author are highly regarded but I don't connect enough with the characters enough to care about which of them is guilty. That opinion hasn't changed despite being almost halfway through the book.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by LovesMacs

I'm reading Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers but I just can't get into the story. The premise is that a celebrated mystery author returns to her alma mater, where someone has been sending nasty letters and other mischief.

I know that this book and this author are highly regarded but I don't connect enough with the characters enough to care about which of them is guilty. That opinion hasn't changed despite being almost halfway through the book.

Have you read the previous books in this series in order? It's a series with a lot of ongoing character development and this book is the culmination of many things that began in earlier books. FWIW, this particular book is one of my favourites.

[LovesMacs]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Have you read the previous books in this series in order? It's a series with a lot of ongoing character development and this book is the culmination of many things that began in earlier books. FWIW, this particular book is one of my favourites.

No, this is the first Sayers I've read, excepting some of her translation work.