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

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Poisoned Bride and Other Judge Dee Mysteries translated by Robert H. van Gulik. A Fictionwise freebie I picked up back in 2004! I think I might have read this one before.

A translation of a 18th Century Chinese original, it works surprisingly well as a mystery story. My edition lacks the promised translators postscript. But I'm looking forward to the authors original works based on the same characters as in these stories.

Then I started a freebie, Unleashed by Sara Humphreys. A paranormal romance, but the paranormal is done with infodump and the author seems to have no real interest in that aspect at all. When the paranormal bit is just to explain why the two main characters are genuinely destined for each other, it's clearly not a good fantasy nor a good romance.

I decided to check out my latest freebie, from Pheonix Pick: Adventures of Lucifer Jones, Vol. 1 by Mike Resnick. Unfortunately, after the first chapter I abandoned this too. I don't like the style, the character or the humour.

So now I'm on to The Clan Wars Books 1&2 by Peter Morwood. Another freebie! Perhaps this one will catch my interest.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

...after the first chapter I abandoned this too.

How do you deal with this in terms of your TBR? Was that two quick pegs down?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

How do you deal with this in terms of your TBR? Was that two quick pegs down?

Yes, the book was on my TBR, so after abandoning it, it gets removed from my TBR and I count it in my read total for the year.

So far this year I've abandoned 3 books, and finished 14. It is an unusually large number of abandoned books for me, perhaps because I've been making a point of starting any freebies I get. Perhaps it shows I should get even fewer freebies.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Graphic novels really should not be called a novel as most of them don't have enough words to be a novel.

Which is why they're called graphic novels, not novels.

[astrangerhere]

I'm giving a test in my first class today, so I am taking the Tor.com freebie short story "Some Gods of El Paso" by Maria Dahvana Headley with me.

[kansaskyle]

I finished up Boys in the Boat, which was a 5-star read for me.

Now I'm about half-way through Kite Runner. I didn't care for the main character, Amir, at first, but he's starting to redeem himself.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes, the book was on my TBR, so after abandoning it, it gets removed from my TBR and I count it in my read total for the year.

So far this year I've abandoned 3 books, and finished 14. It is an unusually large number of abandoned books for me, perhaps because I've been making a point of starting any freebies I get. Perhaps it shows I should get even fewer freebies.

Probably why I've stopped getting freebies pretty much completely. So, instead, I just spent way more than my usual limit for a book because the eARC for The Gathering Edge, the latest Liaden Universe book from Sharon Lee and Steve Miller just went up on the Baen site. I know what I'm doing today!

[issybird]

I'm reading No More Champagne: Churchill and his Money, by David Lough. This is a fascinating account of Churchill's personal finances; he was both profligate and duplicitous. It also gives insight into the various shenanigans the connected could engage in to fund their lifestyles and what was going on in the major financial markets during the first half of the 20th century. An entertaining and enlightening read with some, dare I say it, continuing relevance.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm reading No More Champagne: Churchill and his Money, by David Lough. This is a fascinating account of Churchill's personal finances; he was both profligate and duplicitous. It also gives insight into the various shenanigans the connected could engage in to fund their lifestyles and what was going on in the major financial markets during the first half of the 20th century. An entertaining and enlightening read with some, dare I say it, continuing relevance.

Sounds like something my DW would like. She's read a LOT about Churchill and often talks about his money struggles. Unfortunately, it's $17 at Amazon, so I've put in a request at the library.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Sounds like something my DW would like. She's read a LOT about Churchill and often talks about his money struggles. Unfortunately, it's $17 at Amazon, so I've put in a request at the library.

Yeah, I borrowed it from OverDrive.

I think you need to talk her into joining here. And Goodreads - I suspect I'd find much to like in what she reads.

[CRussel]

Well, her current read (and one I'll propose for the Mobileread Book Club at the appropriate month) is Stiff. It's on my TBR as well.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Well, her current read (and one I'll propose for the Mobileread Book Club at the appropriate month) is Stiff. It's on my TBR as well.

Ah, you're a little late. It was the selection for March 2010.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Well, her current read (and one I'll propose for the Mobileread Book Club at the appropriate month) is Stiff. It's on my TBR as well.

It's a very good book, but we've already read it for the book club. But, picking a Mary Roach book is a very good idea. My wife also read it.

I'd like to see both Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Sex And Science and Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal nominated. If you nominate one of them, I'll nominate the other and then we can both give seconds.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Ah, you're a little late. It was the selection for March 2010.

Ah, well. Before I was involved with the club. But I will go read the discussion.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes, the book was on my TBR, so after abandoning it, it gets removed from my TBR and I count it in my read total for the year.

So far this year I've abandoned 3 books, and finished 14. It is an unusually large number of abandoned books for me, perhaps because I've been making a point of starting any freebies I get. Perhaps it shows I should get even fewer freebies.

I decided to abandon a book halfway through this evening. I'm trying to improve my overall rating of books read and this was shaping up to be a two-star read. Abandoned books don't count toward my total, but that's why their ratings doesn't count, either.

That's the third book I've DNFed this year.