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

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Ah, but didn't you read The Odyssey in the original Greek? It probably makes all the difference in the world.

Yes, but I read it in English many years before that. My favourite English translation is the Richard Lattimore one.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by Dryhte

Stephenson's 'Anathem' is a gorgeous piece of work (alternate reality/math SF). I wholeheartedly endorse it!

Thanks. I have it, haven't been able to get past the first couple chapters. Surprising for me considering I read through the Cryptonomicon books... Maybe my mind just isn't in the right space.

I have Frederick Douglass' autobiography to read for class, but I need something else besides... Maybe I'll do some writing of my own for a change.

[Dazrin]

Although I am still slogging through Master and Commander, which hasn't enthralled me so far, I came across an article about a "lost" Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which conveniently had a link to the full text. It is a very short (1300 word) story written to help support a community in getting a bridge replaced after a flood. It isn't a great story, but it is interesting to see something "new" about SH.

[WT Sharpe]

Just finished Wayward (The Wayward Pines Trilogy, Book 2) by Blake Crouch and gave it five stars. It didn't have the Twin Peeksesk flavor of The Pines, but how could it? Once the BIG SECRET has been revealed and the hero has swallowed the red pill, you need to go in another direction to maintain interest in the series. The direction Crouch decided upon was that of the mystery/thriller, and it was a good choice. I'm hoping now to finish The Last Town, which I'll start later today, before the start of the Wayward Pines television series in March.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Although I am still slogging through Master and Commander, which hasn't enthralled me so far, I came across an article about a "lost" Sherlock Holmes story which conveniently had a link to the full text. It is a very short (1300 word) story written to help support a community in getting a bridge replaced after a flood. It isn't a great story, but it is interesting to see something "new" about SH.

The Aubrey/Maturin books build and grow. I can re-read Master and Commander now and find new things in it, but I enjoyed it even the first time. But the series grows and keeps getting better

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

The Aubrey/Maturin books build and grow. I can re-read Master and Commander now and find new things in it, but I enjoyed it even the first time. But the series grows and keeps getting better

I have to second this. Post Captain, the next book, is better than M&C. That said, and again in agreement with Charlie, I was delighted by Master and Commander. If you really don't like it, this is probably not the series for you. No point in butting your head against a wall; there are too many books to love out there.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by CRussel

The Aubrey/Maturin books build and grow. I can re-read Master and Commander now and find new things in it, but I enjoyed it even the first time. But the series grows and keeps getting better

Originally Posted by issybird

I have to second this. Post Captain, the next book, is better than M&C. That said, and again in agreement with Charlie, I was delighted by Master and Commander. If you really don't like it, this is probably not the series for you. No point in butting your head against a wall; there are too many books to love out there.

I will certainly finish this one but unless it grabs my attention a little more than it has so far (33%) I won't continue the series, at least not right away. It is unusual for me to put down a book in the middle of a fight or battle and only come back to it a day later but that is exactly what I did last night. I had to get off the train in the middle of the first battle and I didn't care enough to even finish the scene when I got home. Normally I would finish the chapter or at least the scene before heading to bed in the evening if not while sitting in my car waiting for it to warm up.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Which translation did you read? The 1846 Chapman and Hall public domain one, or the much better modern one by Robin Buss? The Chapman and Hall translation is pretty heavily redacted for the morals of a Victorian English readership.

I read the better Robin Buss version, whose work I indirectly did praise in my review. It was so convincing that I began to think there was no French version of the book.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Arabian Nights and the Odyssey referred to as "ancient and boring texts." Everybody's, of course, entitled to their opinions, but wow!.... couldn't disagree more. "Ancient" I'll give you.

Yes, I have problems with those works. I thought that I would just paste my Goodreads review here without anyone noticing. I apologize if I appeared boorish.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Luffy

Yes, I have problems with those works. I thought that I would just paste my Goodreads review here without anyone noticing. I apologize if I appeared boorish.

Nothing to apologize for; just differences of opinion.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Nothing to apologize for; just differences of opinion.

Absolutely. One of my all-time favourite fantasy novels is a David Eddings book called "The Redemption of Althalus", for example, which most people seem to think is terrible .

[Luffy]

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger - 4/5

The Time Traveler's Wife is the only book where I've considered giving it 1, 2, 3, 4, and five stars at some point. It started off with a strong quality in the writing, which was at first a story about two people coming together. After that, I feared about misunderstanding what the story was about. But the beginning was simply a purely intimate exchange between two people. I thought that by being fated to be stuck together, Clare and Henry lost some free will. Like their high point was consuming an arranged marriage like it occurs mostly in the third world.

But maybe they never compromised at all. Maybe, compromise is a portmanteau of "comme promis". There is some arbitrary French and even more German peppered through the story. Also bands and music artists' names. References to art. I can imagine that the writer is making a comparison between free will and destiny, and life and art. You see, I never bother about guessing the writer's intent in most books. And in my current avatar as an Amazon customer, I've read primarily mysteries. But here the subject is so private that I'm anxious. But that in itself is impossible and silly.

It's also nice to ruminate about the titular character. Clare is the time traveler's wife. The title could not have been the time traveler's child, for example. I think the last chapter decides the earnestness of the whole book, and is the latter's spine. I wish I had read this beautiful story earlier. My God, how could they make a mess of adapting the book for the big screen? The movie is absolutely dreadful. The author remained inspired throughout, and the book never loses steam. I have read about Henry and known him in a way not possible in other mediums. I would, however, not like to meet him. Like Gomez said, he's not right. It's safe to conclude that the meeting with Clare tempers Henry's devilish side. This is not a science fiction story. It's not perfect. If the book WAS perfect, I'd say 'read it and weep'. But I did not, so it's not.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Next up: Kitschies short-listed SF, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by newcomer Becky Chambers.

Good stuff! This is what I would call warm, character-driven SF: adventurous and fun without being cheesy, and touching without being sappy. A balance that seems to be rare and/or difficult in the genre. I see many mention they're reminded of "Firefly," but honestly, I never got that vibe (other than the "crew on a spaceship in space" connection, of course).

Nice to see another self-pub success story. Kudos to Hodder for recognizing the potential.

Next up: Jen Williams' The Copper Promise.

[Hampshire Nanny]

I'm currently reading The Dante Connection by Estelle Ryan. A friend turned me on to this author and her series of mysteries starring Genevieve Lennard, a psychologist employed as an investigator for a French insurance company. The first book in the series, The Gauguin Connection, is free at Amazon. (I posted a link to the freebie in the mystery thread back in September.) The description of the first book says, "As an insurance investigator and world renowned expert in nonverbal communication, Dr Genevieve Lenard faces the daily challenge of living a successful, independent life. Particularly because she has to deal with her high functioning Autism." -- and this sets the stage for a terrific mystery involving art, music, politics, international intrigue, and psychology.

One thing that makes these books so outstanding is that they are written in the first person and Genevieve is always applying her own knowledge of psychology to her own thoughts and behaviors. She's flawed and very well aware of her limitations. She has learned to cope, but when things start changing around her, she's challenged to adapt -- something that is nearly impossible for her. Sameness and routine have been her means of dealing with the people around her and now she's plunged into a rapidly changing and dangerous situation. Fortunately, she also attracts allies who themselves add stress to her life, but as she learns to work with them, she settles into a new "normal".

I heartily recommend this series to those who like well thought-out and plotted mysteries. This second book has some grammatical and typographic errors which are annoying me. I can't remember if there were similar ones in the first book, but if there were, the fact that I can't remember just means that the story and characters were more memorable in the end.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: the latest Analog SF/F magazine.

Which was very good, as usual.

Next: Dream Killer by Stephen Crane Davidson. Bought back in May 2005. I don't have high hopes.

[CRussel]

Finished reading Ben Aaronovitch's Foxglove Summer. This is book #5 in his wonderful Rivers of London series. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and can't wait for more.