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

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I've now finished reading the Moriarty Trilogy's second novel, The Fall and it was also a highly enjoyable read! So I'm excitedly launching into the final novel, The Journey!

Looks good, I'm going to read it next. I just got the trilogy for $.99 at Amazon, couldn't pass it by at that price!
S

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Luffy

Simple Genius (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell #3)
by David Baldacci - 4/5

Simple Genius was told in a simple vocabulary and in simple terms. I remember quite little of it, although because of some salient stuff, I won't confuse it with any other book. A more demanding reader or maybe someone of greater intelligence will not be impressed by Simple Genius. For the first half of it, I was thoroughly entertained. I thought 5 stars were a given. But Baldacci couldn't sustain the ethereal and intangible schema that made the book impossible to put down. The ingredients into the making of a page turner are untraceable for me. Word after simple word, sentence after sentence are put together in such a fashion as to make the book a delight to read. In the hands of another author, I'm sure the plot would have resulted in a different finished product. I can't begin to say how much bedazzled but grateful I am.

I was reluctant to give Simple Genius a go. I thought that prior to 2010, Baldacci was inconsistent. Also he possibly still can misfire or prove to be uninspired. But maybe one needs to read a handful of his works to find him irresistible. Having said that, I am far from having blinding faith in maybe my most favorite author. Before tagging Simple Genius as the next to be read book, I read some reviews of the book and didn't like all that I read. Well, the ending was much better than I thought it would be. Romantic people, at least those that don't stick to romance novels, will take much heart from the ending. I do think that's misleading. I will be very surprised if King and Maxwell become a couple.

I've been reading another book along with this one. A fantasy book. That book has a hero who is super intelligent and precocious. There's a difference between him and the characters of Baldacci. The latter's characters are easier to like. Just like the hero of the fantasy novel, King and Maxwell are above average. Here end the similarities. King and Maxwell are a detective team. They seek out danger in the course of making a living. They are vulnerable. But the fantasy hero is overpowered - not in the bad way. Everything bad happens to him. That makes him, in my eyes, as a Gary Stu, or Marty Stu. It all comes down to preference and to how many people like the same thing. The fantasy book I'm speaking of is more highly rated and liked than our book. What can I say, I can only talk freely from my own point of view.

I started reading Simple Genius as a distraction before getting down to the business of reading a series of Urban Fantasy books that's very popular these days. But now that I've read Baldacci's book, the shoe is on the other foot and I can't let go. The sole reason for moving on is that I know Baldacci has not written a ton of books. I must pace myself. Baldacci publishes one book every year. Along with my desire to read another Camel Club book, I hope to be able to follow, and like, all of the good books that this author releases. It's an advantage when one's go to author is not much older than yours truly. This means that we have more in common than, say, a Matt Groening, a James Cameron, or a John LeCarre. It all boils down to preference and the existence of a writing style that Baldacci has cracked and is compatible with me and people who think like me. Not knowing how to crack the same code, I do the next best thing...I read.

You sound pretty intelligent to me
Helen

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by silverraven

Looks good, I'm going to read it next. I just got the trilogy for $.99 at Amazon, couldn't pass it by at that price!
S

The last day for that $.99 deal was yesterday, good to hear that you got in under the wire!

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by alansplace

The last day for that $.99 deal was yesterday, good to hear that you got in under the wire!

Cool! Guess I got lucky!
Love all the recommendations here. My TBR pile keeps growing!
S

[Hampshire Nanny]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I've now finished reading the Moriarty Trilogy's second novel, The Fall and it was also a highly enjoyable read! So I'm excitedly launching into the final novel, The Journey!

Originally Posted by silverraven

Looks good, I'm going to read it next. I just got the trilogy for $.99 at Amazon, couldn't pass it by at that price!

Originally Posted by alansplace

The last day for that $.99 deal was yesterday, good to hear that you got in under the wire!

They must have extended it. I just purchased Moriarity for 99 cents.

I did note, however, that the page count doesn't make a lot of sense. The Amazon listing for each of the individual books says "Contains real page numbers" and so does the trilogy. But the books themselves supposedly contail 240, 323, and 256 pages respectively, and the trilogy is listed at only 438 pages. Now I know that the paperback version on which the page numbers are based may contain some pages which aren't part of the story such as excerpts from other books the author has written, but wouldn't you expect the trilogy to contain at least as many pages as two of the books?

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Hampshire Nanny

They must have extended it. I just purchased Moriarity for 99 cents.

I did note, however, that the page count doesn't make a lot of sense. The Amazon listing for each of the individual books says "Contains real page numbers" and so does the trilogy. But the books themselves supposedly contail 240, 323, and 256 pages respectively, and the trilogy is listed at only 438 pages. Now I know that the paperback version on which the page numbers are based may contain some pages which aren't part of the story such as excerpts from other books the author has written, but wouldn't you expect the trilogy to contain at least as many pages as two of the books?

My Kindle Voyage says I'm on page 476 at 78%. I've not noticed any pages that don't fit in. So I believe that your worries are probably based on inaccuracies in the descriptions. Oh, and it contains 20 photographs of late 19th century England interspersed throughout the 3 novels.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

You sound pretty intelligent to me
Helen

Thanks, I'm glad you read my review.

[Rev. Bob]

I've finished Stephen King's Revival and have moved on to Mr. Mercedes. I'm amused by the Frankenstein references in both, but saying more would be spoilery.

[Luffy]

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1)
by Patrick Rothfuss - 3/5

Giving a book 3 stars can reflect any one thing. It may mean that the book is a harmless, fun filled story that never reached any high point. It may mean a good book with a long slow beginning. It may mean a heavily flawed masterpiece, or a book that was never meant for you to appreciate. The Name Of The Wind is not a masterpiece, is not heavily flawed, though it might be both for some readers. I think the way I see it, it's the type of book that's either not meant for me, or it's a book that falls - slightly - short of all its aims.

Take the problem encountered with creating such a hero as Kvothe, or the world where he lives. Creating a character who is a genius means a lot of hassle for a writer who is at the beginning of his career. Now that we all know that the book is a bona fide success, we know the author has won his spurs. But consider the humor of the book. The direct speech of Kvothe against, say, Ambrose. Where is the humor? There is none to speak of. Sure, the repartee is sharp, but the thrust lacks riposte. Being funny is not the same thing as being smart. As an apprentice reader for fantasy I've yet to cover ground, but looking at the horizon I see authors who do not sound funny, and I see a genre lacking in true wit. Is it an acquired trait of the genre? Surely it's tough to make jokes in a fictional world. Where's the window of opportunity for puns, nods, references? There is scarce room.

Also some authors can write up a genius character without ruffling the readers' feathers. Kvothe is a problematic child. If he is so smart, then why does he do stupidly rash things? If he survived his poverty struck childhood living on the streets, where are those instincts when he needs them? Why does his understanding of the world leaves him naive, wandering deserted streets at night without a care? Speaking for myself, I had a period in my life where I had to cope with dangerous variables. The resulted reflexes and temporary wisdom I gained from my experience stayed with me for more than 2 years after which I shrunk, intellectually, to my usual boundaries. The time period for Kvothe's story betrays the false note coming from the author. Kvothe, in short, got too dumb too fast. The book is littered with the phrase " if you haven't known that or that, if you haven't experienced such and such, then I can't make you understand". Well, I think the author has never learned to live by his wits, or he bent the truth or alloyed it with falser metal. I won't harp on Kvothe's stupidity in keeping replying to Ambrose to keep their enmity fresh or not managing his finances rightly or being surprisingly hot headed and impatient. This is because this is clear for all to see and also, well, the plot demands it.

I do so wish Denna hadn't gotten such a big role. I wish Denna, and Dinnah/Dianne etc, were separate people. The author wanted the past to come back, and I understand, wanted to surprise us with a trick of movement, and produce a flutter from his readers. But what purpose does Denna's continued appearances serve? I think Kvothe should have been allowed to forget and never meet his love again. As a result of Denna's role in the present, Kvothe never learns the lesson that the first love of a life is never the last love, or never an ever lasting one. That's a missed golden opportunity to make Kvothe mature and grow up. Producing Denna out of his hat, the author has also introduced romance and its bastard child, serendipity, into his book. Was it worth it?

For my conclusion I think that the supporting characters didn't get fully drawn. I know that the writer has a limited number of brushstrokes but would it hurt him to give Wil and Sim different voices? You can substitute that with Lorren and Elodin. I did however, appreciate the language employed by Patrick Rothfuss. It was a relief to read about the tangent of the hero instead of the bricks and mortar of the fantasy tinged world of the book. This is the dominating positive that came from reading The Name Of The Wind. Fantasy is an unexplored genre for me. To survive reading further of it, I must recognize which books I'm going to tolerate and which I'll bodily reject. This particular one got three stars from me, and that's the end of the story!

[Gazella]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

[Nyssa]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Martian!! I wish it was not my first book of 2015, so that I could honestly call it my favorite book of the year!! I'm hoping that doesn't mean its all downhill from here.
I finally finished reading it earlier today. There is no reason why this book should have taken me 11 days to complete, other than, like Mars with Mark,real life kept messing with me in annoying little ways which ate up a lot of time - you know, like having to go to work!!

I'm torn about wanting to see the movie. I don't know that they can do the book justice; I felt it was just that good!! My review is here.

Next up are: Clover (which has been begging for my attention for a little while now):

Kazuhiko is a young, but already deeply wounded black ops agent of a baroque, retro-tech future. Kaz is pulled out of retirement to escort Sue, a mysterious waif, to a destination she alone knows. Sue and Kazuhiko have never met, yet she knows him, having grown up since the age of four with her only human contact. Two distant voices: that of her elderly grandma General Ko, and of Kazuhiko's dead girlfriend, Ora. Sue has been kept in that cage all these years because of what she is, and what the Clover Leaf Project found her to be: a military top secret, and the most dangerous person in the world! Clover is a long out-of-print classic from Japan's shojo artist supergroup CLAMP! Never before available in its original Japanese right-to-left reading orientation, Dark Horse not only brings Clover into English for the first time, but also collects all four of the original volumes into one reasonably priced omnibus, with a brand-new cover design especially for this edition!

and then The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

It's safe to say that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest science fiction novels ever written. Adams spoofs many core science fiction tropes: space travel, aliens, interstellar war--stripping away all sense of wonder and repainting them as commonplace, even silly.

This omnibus edition begins with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which Arthur Dent is introduced to the galaxy at large when he is rescued by an alien friend seconds before Earth's destruction. Then in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Arthur and his new friends travel to the end of time and discover the true reason for Earth's existence. In Life, the Universe, and Everything, the gang goes on a mission to save the entire universe. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish recounts how Arthur finds true love and "God's Final Message to His Creation." Finally, Mostly Harmless is the story of Arthur's continuing search for home, in which he instead encounters his estranged daughter, who is on her own quest. There's also a bonus short story, "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe," more of a vignette than a full story, which wraps up this completist's package of the Don't Panic chronicles. As the series progresses, its wackier elements diminish, but the satire of human life and foibles is ever present.

[Polarpenguin]

Just finished
The Casual Vacancy : J.K. Rowling

Dark & Gritty, far removed from Harry Potter. Enjoyed it & despite some of the subject matter found it an easy read. Am really liking her adult stuff.

Also read "We are Destined to be Together Forever (Odd Thomas #6.5): Dean Koontz"
The short story Prequel ready for the release of St Odd this week

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Now (taking a cue from Harry and Paul) I'm reading my oldest purchase from Nov 2012 Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers.

Enjoyed this very much. A fascinating look into the advertising industry. Sayers using her experience as a copywriter really made the book come to life. Her advertising slogans were a hoot. I must say, though, that there were quite a few characters present and I was losing track of them. All the men seemed so similar which may have been Sayers' intention. The mystery and its revelation were a little disappointing to me. I don't care for the "confessionals." I was lost reading the actions of the cricket match. Overall, a solid B [4 stars] even though there were elements I didn't like the book was very well written. I did enjoy this one more so than Strong Poison. An interesting sidebar. I didn't realize that they knew in 1933 that nicotine was so addictive and cigarettes damaged lungs. And cocaine "dope" was a relatively new concern for the police at that time.

Next will be a change. A sci-fi freebie. I'll read Starfish by Peter Watts. The first in his Rifters series. He offers these as a free download from his website.

[pilotbob]

Well, I finished The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind. Good book. I really must click with his writing style. I've enjoyed every Sword of Truth book. I actually am considering re-reading them all.

[JSWolf]

I just finished reading Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey.

If you have not read this, go to Hugh's website and buy it. It's $2.99 there instead of $4.99 (for example at Amazon). It's an excellent book. Well worth reading and while you are there, pick up the other three as well since chances are more then very good that they will all be worth reading.



Next up is a book I'm not really sure about but it's for a book club so here goes. It's Perdido Street Station by China Miéville.

Beneath the towering bleached ribs of a dead, ancient beast lies New Crobuzon, a squalid city where humans, Re-mades, and arcane races live in perpetual fear of Parliament and its brutal militia. The air and rivers are thick with factory pollutants and the strange effluents of alchemy, and the ghettos contain a vast mix of workers, artists, spies, junkies, and whores. In New Crobuzon, the unsavory deal is stranger to none—not even to Isaac, a brilliant scientist with a penchant for Crisis Theory.

Isaac has spent a lifetime quietly carrying out his unique research. But when a half-bird, half-human creature known as the Garuda comes to him from afar, Isaac is faced with challenges he has never before fathomed. Though the Garuda's request is scientifically daunting, Isaac is sparked by his own curiosity and an uncanny reverence for this curious stranger.

While Isaac's experiments for the Garuda turn into an obsession, one of his lab specimens demands attention: a brilliantly colored caterpillar that feeds on nothing but a hallucinatory drug and grows larger—and more consuming—by the day. What finally emerges from the silken cocoon will permeate every fiber of New Crobuzon—and not even the Ambassador of Hell will challenge the malignant terror it invokes . . .