Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 145

Idoine · 07-07-2009, 06:30 PM

Just finished the 3rd of "Undead and..." series by MaryJanice Davidson, and enjoyed it ! Now I need to wait a little for the others (my purse is quite flat these days...

), but lots of ebooks are awaiting me already on my Cybook !

I bought 3 paperbacks too, from a french series, paperback because 1. they are too expensive in ebook (14 euros !

, for that price I bought 2 in paperback !) and 2. in Epub format !
BTW, it's "Les enquêtes de Nicolas Le Floch, commissaire au Châtelet" series.

Verencat · 07-07-2009, 07:45 PM

Au Bonheur des Ogres, by Daniel Pennac, published in English under the title The Scapegoat. That book is a gem! I can't put it down more than 30 min at a time!
Read it!

HistoryWes · 07-07-2009, 07:54 PM

I just finished The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I wanted to read it before I saw the book. Before that, I read Young Rissa by F.M. Busby. Pretty wide range, I know.

Patricia · 07-07-2009, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verencat

Au Bonheur des Ogres, by Daniel Pennac, published in English under the title The Scapegoat. That book is a gem! I can't put it down more than 30 min at a time!
Read it!

I also absolutely love the Daniel Pennac Belleville series, and have read the lot.
The novels are set in the faubourg where our Zelda lives.

pilotbob · 07-08-2009, 08:23 AM

Finished Star Trek:SCE Breakdowns...

This book was ok... it was an after the disaster book where everyone mourns loss by facing a challenge. I do have to say I skipped the P8 Blue story because after a chapter I was bored.

Next up... Three Men in a Boat by Jerome.

BOb

Verencat · 07-08-2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patricia

I also absolutely love the Daniel Pennac Belleville series, and have read the lot.
The novels are set in the faubourg where our Zelda lives.

Well, I'm done with Scapegoat, and have none of the others in my posession now, but I will try to find them as soon as I can! This was such a good novel!
Interesting to know that Zelda lives in that area - coupled with the movie "Les triplettes de Belleville", it makes for a great visual!

lilac_jive · 07-08-2009, 08:54 AM

I just started "Darkfever" by Karen Marie Moning, which was a Sony freebie. So far so good!

pilotbob · 07-08-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I just started "Darkfever" by Karen Marie Moning, which was a Sony freebie. So far so good!

Hmm... are all these books you've been reading on your 1001 books list?

BOb

BlackVoid · 07-08-2009, 10:22 AM

Caution, some minor spoilers ahead.

Just gave up on Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick. The book starts out interesting in a steam dragon factory where technology meets magic. But then the protagonist escapes with a steam dragon. You would expect that some kind of adventure would follow, BUT NO. The next scene is shoplifting in a mall. WHAT???

It is lame. I skimmed ahead in the book and checked some (negative) reviews to see if anything interesting would happen, but it seems not.

Another nicely built world that has a bad story (just like Perdido Street Station). Is it a feature of the steampunk subgenre? Anything steampunk I read starts out with a very interesting world, then disappoints with the story in a BIG WAY. In PSS I just could not care about the characters and it was boring. The Difference Engine by William Gibson was so drawn out and boring that I gave up on it halfway through.

I am also reading the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. This starts out very good, but by the 4th book I was skipping entire segments. This book runs on 3 threads:
- the actual military action - pretty good all the way. The author considers some of the physical limitations of space combat - NICE. It is a shame that other aspects of physical reality are ignored (spaceships cannot turn in space like airplanes or ships on water).
- a love triangle - its awkward, unrealistic and should have been left out. I felt cringing at the dialog relating to this. Just plain unbelievable.
- a mutiny / treason theme in the fleet - this is just not believable at all, especially since the protagonist does not do much about it. I was hoping in book 2 that this theme would be resolved and dropped, but unfortunately this is not the case. The mutiny just drags on and on and on. The protagonist should get his act together and act on it.
Repetitions in the last two threads are getting very boring by book 4. I think this is a case where a series should have been shortened to 3 books instead of 5 (and still 1 upcoming book).

Also the book gets way to hollywoodish in my eye. Still its a good, light read if you are willing to skip the repetitions.

lilac_jive · 07-08-2009, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Hmm... are all these books you've been reading on your 1001 books list?

BOb

Heh, I haven't read any in like three months. Too many other books to read!

MelC · 07-08-2009, 10:39 AM

Just finished Hamlet and started The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle last night. I'm hoping it will be a quick read because, while I don't want to split these two up since I specifically decided to read them together, I'm anxious to get to Three Men in a Boat. Tap, tap, tap.

Mel

Peadar Ó Guilín · 07-08-2009, 03:08 PM

I'm about 200 pages into Tom Holland's Millennium -- a cool history book about the years leading up to, and just following, 1000AD.

DixieGal · 07-08-2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackVoid

Caution, some minor spoilers ahead.

... Another nicely built world that has a bad story (just like Perdido Street Station). Is it a feature of the steampunk subgenre? Anything steampunk I read starts out with a very interesting world, then disappoints with the story in a BIG WAY. In PSS I just could not care about the characters and it was boring. The Difference Engine by William Gibson was so drawn out and boring that I gave up on it halfway through. ...

Speaking of steampunk, didja see this new show yesterday on SyFy (SciFi) called "Warehouse 13?" I looks cute, like they took X Files and Eureka and ran it through a blender. Anyhow, they have all of this mysterious technology in storage, but their cell phones feature a small B&W camera phone and are done up in steampunk fashion. If not for MR, I never would have known what steampunk is. Thanks for the education, MobileRead!

DixieGal · 07-08-2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peadar Ó Guilín

I'm about 200 pages into Tom Holland's Millennium -- a cool history book about the years leading up to, and just following, 1000AD.

Is it history or historical fiction? That's an era I'm very interested in. VIKINGS! TURKS! THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT!

Sparrow · 07-08-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackVoid

Another nicely built world that has a bad story (just like Perdido Street Station). Is it a feature of the steampunk subgenre? Anything steampunk I read starts out with a very interesting world, then disappoints with the story in a BIG WAY. In PSS I just could not care about the characters and it was boring. The Difference Engine by William Gibson was so drawn out and boring that I gave up on it halfway through.

I liked 'Perdido Street Station', but I do agree 'The Difference Engine' was a disappointment.

A steampunk novel I'd recommend is 'Anti-Ice' by Stephen Baxter - hugely enjoyable!

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07-07-2009, 06:30 PM	#2161
Idoine Which book will be next ? Posts: 661 Karma: 2172 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: France Device: Cybook Gen3 1.5, Sony PRS 600 RC, Samsung Omnia...	Just finished the 3rd of "Undead and..." series by MaryJanice Davidson, and enjoyed it ! Now I need to wait a little for the others (my purse is quite flat these days... ), but lots of ebooks are awaiting me already on my Cybook ! I bought 3 paperbacks too, from a french series, paperback because 1. they are too expensive in ebook (14 euros ! , for that price I bought 2 in paperback !) and 2. in Epub format ! BTW, it's "Les enquêtes de Nicolas Le Floch, commissaire au Châtelet" series.

07-07-2009, 07:45 PM	#2162
Verencat Wizard Posts: 2,615 Karma: 96491 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc Device: xxx	Au Bonheur des Ogres, by Daniel Pennac, published in English under the title The Scapegoat. That book is a gem! I can't put it down more than 30 min at a time! Read it!

07-07-2009, 07:54 PM	#2163
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	I just finished The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. I wanted to read it before I saw the book. Before that, I read Young Rissa by F.M. Busby. Pretty wide range, I know.

07-08-2009, 08:23 AM	#2165
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	Finished Star Trek:SCE Breakdowns... This book was ok... it was an after the disaster book where everyone mourns loss by facing a challenge. I do have to say I skipped the P8 Blue story because after a chapter I was bored. Next up... Three Men in a Boat by Jerome. BOb

07-08-2009, 08:54 AM	#2167
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	I just started "Darkfever" by Karen Marie Moning, which was a Sony freebie. So far so good!

07-08-2009, 10:22 AM	#2169
BlackVoid Evangelist Posts: 415 Karma: 510423 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Sony PRS-505	Caution, some minor spoilers ahead. Just gave up on Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick. The book starts out interesting in a steam dragon factory where technology meets magic. But then the protagonist escapes with a steam dragon. You would expect that some kind of adventure would follow, BUT NO. The next scene is shoplifting in a mall. WHAT??? It is lame. I skimmed ahead in the book and checked some (negative) reviews to see if anything interesting would happen, but it seems not. Another nicely built world that has a bad story (just like Perdido Street Station). Is it a feature of the steampunk subgenre? Anything steampunk I read starts out with a very interesting world, then disappoints with the story in a BIG WAY. In PSS I just could not care about the characters and it was boring. The Difference Engine by William Gibson was so drawn out and boring that I gave up on it halfway through. I am also reading the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. This starts out very good, but by the 4th book I was skipping entire segments. This book runs on 3 threads: - the actual military action - pretty good all the way. The author considers some of the physical limitations of space combat - NICE. It is a shame that other aspects of physical reality are ignored (spaceships cannot turn in space like airplanes or ships on water). - a love triangle - its awkward, unrealistic and should have been left out. I felt cringing at the dialog relating to this. Just plain unbelievable. - a mutiny / treason theme in the fleet - this is just not believable at all, especially since the protagonist does not do much about it. I was hoping in book 2 that this theme would be resolved and dropped, but unfortunately this is not the case. The mutiny just drags on and on and on. The protagonist should get his act together and act on it. Repetitions in the last two threads are getting very boring by book 4. I think this is a case where a series should have been shortened to 3 books instead of 5 (and still 1 upcoming book). Also the book gets way to hollywoodish in my eye. Still its a good, light read if you are willing to skip the repetitions.

07-08-2009, 10:39 AM	#2171
MelC Evangelist Posts: 410 Karma: 2081 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Cybook Gen3, PRS600	Just finished Hamlet and started The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle last night. I'm hoping it will be a quick read because, while I don't want to split these two up since I specifically decided to read them together, I'm anxious to get to Three Men in a Boat. Tap, tap, tap. Mel

07-08-2009, 03:08 PM	#2172
Peadar Ó Guilín Author of The Inferior Posts: 121 Karma: 200001 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ireland Device: Sony PRS-505, Kindle 3 (soon...)	I'm about 200 pages into Tom Holland's Millennium -- a cool history book about the years leading up to, and just following, 1000AD.