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

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by issybird

OK, I’ll bite. I only read Clarissa in the truncated version and that was decades ago. Thanks for the heads up.

I may only read one or two letters at a time, and I am not putting any kind of time pressure on myself. That is part of why I put it on my side reader, not my main one.

[Uncle Robin]

4.75/5 for Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science by Jim Al-Khalili, making my best of list for the year to date. Really well researched and well presented, it was exactly the sort of summary of the subject I'd been looking for. Also, discovering that the forceps used to deliver me were invented by one of those Golden Age Arabic physicians definitely deepened by esteem for their efforts.

[ZGottlieb]

I'm reading a mystery by Joe Congel. The MC voice is very engaging.

Dead is forever

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...t_bibl_vppi_i3

[Paperbackstash]

I'm almost done with the White House Chef mysteries by Julie Hyzy. 9 book series. They are addicting and I've enjoyed them. I plan to start her Grace series next and a few others.

[poohbear_nc]

Well, finished plowing through all the Philo Vance mysteries -- definitely an acquired taste -- enjoyed them immensely at the start, but they became too padded and gimmicky towards the end. Aside from van Dine inserting himself as a character, each book showcased Vance's in-depth knowledge in some esoteric area associated with the crime .... everything from chess to mathematics to tropical fish to .... dragons.

Now revisiting Elizabeth Daly's fascinating Henry Gamadge series - with some of the most convoluted/involuted plot lines ever imagined -- no wonder Agatha Christie was such a fan. Gamadge is a kind of Philo Vance/Albert Campion/Peter Wimsey/Sherlock Holmes mash-up, IMHO.

[LDB]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Well, finished plowing through all the Philo Vance mysteries --

This is a good series on the old time radio channel.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

After the last read I need some comedy so I'll start Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs.

Great continuation. A few nice surprises. The same comical but intelligent writing. Very enjoyable. Rated B+ [4 stars].

Next, The Liar's Key the second book in The Red Queen's War series by Mark Lawrence. I read the first three years ago. It's nice that the author reminds us of the events in the preface.

[Uncle Robin]

Nearly halfway through The Science of Discworld by Stewart, Choen & Pratchett, and I'm struck by (a) how REALLY well Pratchett incorporated science in his work (b) how dated the science sections are in a book first published just 20 years ago (c) in the light of having read Pathfinders, how the potted summaries of science history so far consistently start from Ancient Greek then resume again with Medieval Europe, with no mention at all of the people who gave us algebra and algorithms.

[gmw]

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow. A historical (early 20th century) fantasy. The first third develops as a story within a story within a story, and it began to seem wandering and pointless (although this impression may have been influenced by external distractions), but the writing was expressive and the characters interesting so I pushed on ... and it was well worth it. It turned into an interesting story, told in an unusual manner (all the first third mattered). I enjoyed the use of language. I thought the themes and the romances were well handled, and I liked the way the conclusion didn't compromise the main character. A firm 4/5.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser.

Which was excellent. Best anti-hero ever. A complete cad - seducer, rapist, coward, toady, hypocrite, bully. And wonderful fun to read about.

Next I read A Christmas to Remember by Anton du Beke. This is his third book, all set in the fictional Buckingham Hotel in London between the wars.

It's a quick, light read. Good fun, with some international intrigue going on.

And currently I'm reading Galaxy's Edge #3, an SF magazine edited by Mike Resnick. It's OK, and some stories are very good, but it makes me realise that short stories are not what I enjoy reading the most.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And currently I'm reading Galaxy's Edge #3, an SF magazine edited by Mike Resnick. It's OK, and some stories are very good, but it makes me realise that short stories are not what I enjoy reading the most.

It's OK. The best bits were reprints, and the bit I really liked turned out to be an excerpt of an old novel.

Next up: The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray. SF from one of the QI Elves. My most recent purchase.

[Luffy]

My 4 star review of The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #2), by Trenton Lee Stewart :-

Spoiler:

This book was not uniformly good, and its sluggish start was quite gloomy. I thought of putting down the book and looking for alternatives while my expectations levels adjusted themselves to the lacklustre beginnings.

The one new word that I definitely learned in this middle grade book - peopled as it was with a bunch of gifted children - was pulchritude. You'll thank me for underlying this point after you've checked its meaning.

The clues in the book are concrete clues. They are hints left by the grown up de facto chief of the gifted (gifted seems a bit unspecific here so I'll use the French word surdoués) clan. Where was I? Yes, the clues left by the ringleader were sometimes unfairly difficult, but more often than not, they were within the reach of the children.

I am very glad to have concluded that unlike Enid Blyton's books, where the latter author just had to elect a leader of the various groups, here among the 4 children, power is distributed democratically. Everyone gets their time to shine, and though the boy Reynie was the most resourceful one, the others had real talent different from him, to offer.

I think the author bided his time to use a joke that he must have been itching to use. You see, one of the children's surname was Contraire, and when the chief of the baddies prattled on : 'Au contraire...', well you can guess what misunderstanding happens. It was a pity that 'No ****, Sherlock,' wasn't in canon Sherlock lore. Too ahead of its time I guess.

This was a good book. I do recommend it to all people who love to read. The author, Trenton Lee Stewart, kind of got writer's block at the end and didn't know how to finish his book and as a result the book ended abruptly. It's an interesting ending, but its setting was just as rambunctious as the ending in all Asterix books, at least all that I've read.

[Uncle Robin]

10% into Ben Bova's Moonrise. I'm applying the "three strikes, you're out" rule to Bova - Powersat was bad, Mars a little less so, but if this one isn't a marked improvement, my Grand Tour of his works will be at an end.

[Uncle Robin]

She had often used that “beautiful Eurasian” line to see what kind of reaction it would cause. In truth, her beauty was not physical. Short, thick-waisted, with a face as round and flat as a pie pan... Sternly, she reminded herself that this good-looking young man was five years her junior. She also remembered that men attain the peak of their sexual potency around the age of eighteen.She dreamed about him that night. She dreamed she was a slender and graceful ballerina and he was hopelessly in love with her.

Sigh! Bova's fixation on defining women by their appearance continues. If I wasn't nearly halfway through this overlong tome, I'd be dnfing

[Uncle Robin]

You know it's a dire read when the only reason you read on to the end is to see if it can hang on to a 3/5. Bye bye Ben Bova, back to Anastasios' The Honorable Thief, hopefully that will clear the palate.