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

[Luffy]

My 1 star review of A.B.C contre Poirot by Agatha Christie:-

Spoiler:

I don't think I am being unreasonable with my rating. The heart wants what it wants. I have rarely given 1 star to Poirot books, but this reread after an interval of 2 decades left me cold.

The translation was the best but it clashed with the plebian atmosphere of the English version. The whodunit was improbable, and I was left puzzled by the first overrated book I've read of Christie.

One unique thing in this novel was the decision of Hercule Poirot to laud Hastings with praise. Twice. Did I throw this book at the wall in despair? No, because I was reading an e-book.

There have been a fistful of idolaters that have bettered their master, Agatha Christie's efforts in this book. Female writers such as M.C. Beaton, Livia J. Washburn, Laura Levine, Carol Higgins Clark, Rhys Bowen, and Jessica Beck, who I think, is a guy.

I have always had the opinion that with her lesser books, Agatha Christie paints herself into a corner with a record low number of brushstrokes. Proof for the murderer's crimes is often obtained in so unsavvy a way that it ruins the entire book for me. Onwards and upwards will do the trick after this dreck.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

I finished Uncle Fred in the Springtime which turned out to be one of my absolute favorites by P.G. Wodehouse. Number 64 on my quest to read all of him, more or less in order.

Ah, one I don't have. And at $9.99 on Amazon, it looks like a trip to the Library web site is in order. I admit, the Blandings books have been less interesting than the Jeeves/Wooster books, but I'm always willing to be convinced. Especially where Wodehouse is concerned!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Ah, one I don't have. And at $9.99 on Amazon, it looks like a trip to the Library web site is in order. I admit, the Blandings books have been less interesting than the Jeeves/Wooster books, but I'm always willing to be convinced. Especially where Wodehouse is concerned!

Uncle Fred is delightful. This is only his second appearance and the first was in a short story whose name I can’t remember. I rather agree with you about the Blandings books being inferior to Jeeves/Wooster, but I think I like the stand-alones best of all.

[CRussel]

One of my libraries has the Jonathan Cecil narration, so I think I'll go with that.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

One of my libraries has the Jonathan Cecil narration, so I think I'll go with that.

Oh, delightful. I can tell already I'm going to love this one! Thanks, issybird!

Meanwhile, on my Kindle, I'm reading Rogue Protocol, the third of The Murderbot Diaries from Martha Wells. These are strangely compelling little books which are seriously overpriced for their length, but patience at my library has paid off.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Luffy

Wheel of time is a huge commitment for someone like me who has never read a single book in the series. I get the feeling Wot and I won’t get along.

One thing to know is that there is a lot of time when nothing actually happens. If you like conversation with nothing happening, you'll be OK.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ReadingManiac

Another one I keep hearing is good and want to read, but I don't have a copy yet so it's easy to put off until a good sale comes.

I really need to stop buying books, but I have to get the next one in Guy Donovan's Dragon Treasure series!

When you do read The Stand, you should read the longer uncut version. That's the one I read and it's excellent.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Number9

The Stand is a must read, I think. It's my favorite book by Stephen King.

Have you read The Green Mile? It's also excellent. The movie is one you should see if you have not.

11/22/63 is another must read.

[gmw]

End of Ever After by E. L. Tenenbaum. I really liked the idea of this, but found the execution annoying. It was first person with a strongly retrospective cast. The first half of the book is spent telling the story we already know (mostly). By the time the twist arrives it has been so strongly foreshadowed that nothing is a surprise (except perhaps the goose), nor even that interesting. But the finale lifts this out of the strictly mundane, with Ella playing a much stronger role than I expected, and this felt good after so much passivity. Some good lines, I'll post a few to the quote thread, but I can only stretch to 3/5.


Golden Fleece by Robert J. Sawyer. I had some trouble through the first half, the human interactions felt a little stiff and stilted, but it picks up from there and moves forward more quickly. The conclusion included a couple of neat twists that make the journey worthwhile. I will say that some of the background explanation was not entirely convincing, but it was good enough for the main points to stand. Somewhere around 3.5/5, I think.


The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. Historical fiction theoretically for younger readers. I was strongly moved by this subtle, quiet and yet powerful tale of childhood, friendship, loss and the development of the atomic bomb. There really isn't that much story in here, and the bomb is very much just a background to the lives these young girls are living in the new military township of Los Alamos, but it worked well for me. It all seemed very real, and that reality gave the subtle ending an added poignancy. 4.5/5.

Side Note: The ebook edition I have includes lots of additional material at the front. Why at the front? Good grief. Lots of spoilers in it. If you want to read the extra material, wait until you've read the story.


A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I feel like this has not aged well. It's (at least partly) told in the slightly pompous voice of historical recital and as a result the tale tends to be sparse and doesn't dwell long in any one place or on the more human interactions. But it does move along very quickly and it is quite short. The dénouement carries (what seems now) a fairly predictable moral or spiritual flavour; it is satisfying enough but feels a little trite. For all that, I was entertained and quite happy to see it through to the finish. 3/5.

[JSWolf]

I am currently reading three books.

Star Trek - Discovery 03 - Fear Itself by James Swallow
A Promised Land by Barak Obama
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Buying books is addicting, we all understand your last sentence. I was very into the Stand, then got sucked into a paranormal 5-book series that I just finished yesterday (which kept going downhill, yet I couldn't stop myself from reading)... but I need to get back to the Stand now and other genres/ mysteries. Need a break, been reading too much Urban Fantasy this month.

I'm having a serious case of too many books I want to read 'next' at once! Finally started The Hastur Lord by Marion Zimmer Bradley because I gave a load of my old Darkover books to a friend and I hadn't read this one yet.

I bought the second Dragon Treasure book, but promised myself I would read two other books first before I start that one. Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris is lined up to be the other one. I've wanted to continue that series for aaaaages!

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Number9

The Stand is a must read, I think. It's my favorite book by Stephen King.

A lot of people mark it as their favourite King. One good sale will do it.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Death Set to Music, first in the Inspector Pel series by Mark Hebden (set in 1960s France). So far, I quite like it!

Sounds intriguing.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

I haven't seen the movie Witches of Eastwick, but on Goodreads I saw some book reviews where they'd seen the movie and liked it but didn't like the book. I would watch the movie if it were included with Amazon Prime or Netflix, but it isn't.

The movie is excellent! I haven't read the book yet. There's a sample on my Kindle I haven't got to yet.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by Elektron

Waiting for the last book in the Revenge of Magic series to be released.

The title got me curious so I just looked this up. Interesting concept. Is it directed at children?