Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 1995

Apache · 04-05-2021, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

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

Unfortunately that is how most people define everyone when they first meet them.
Apache

pdurrant · 04-05-2021, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

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

Disappointing. It just scrapes a 3/5, but only just. Unconvincing in every respect. I don't believe in the setup, nor the characters, nor the events. I only finished in the hops that there would be something in it. But there wasn't, really.

Next up: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Bought back in December 2013!

SeaBookGuy · 04-05-2021, 02:47 PM

For any nonfiction readers, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Mark Kurlansky's Paper: Paging Through History. A bit... thorough in places, but overall well-presented.

issybird · 04-05-2021, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

For any nonfiction readers, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Mark Kurlansky's Paper: Paging Through History. A bit... thorough in places, but overall well-presented.

I greatly enjoyed his The Big Oyster.

Uncle Robin · 04-05-2021, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

For any nonfiction readers, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Mark Kurlansky's Paper: Paging Through History. A bit... thorough in places, but overall well-presented.

This sounds like it would be a great follow-up to the book I'm currently reading, Printer's Error by Rebecca Romney. Although most of my reading is fiction, the average ratings I give fiction and nonfiction show that NF wins in terms of consistent appeal, and a majority of my favorites and 4-star + reads are NF. This one sounds like another promising addition, than ks.

Uncle Robin · 04-06-2021, 06:16 AM

4.25/5 for Printer' Error - lots of interesting information and some perceptive and humble insights too

gmw · 04-06-2021, 07:30 AM

The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp, first of the Feyland series. A middle-grade sci-fi-fantasy with occasional leaning toward YA romance, loosely inspired by the Scottish legend of "Tam Lin". I did not find the fantasy parts of the story convincing, nor the main protagonist. I quite liked some of the casually introduced science-fiction, and I thought the Tam Linn character, with his family struggling to survive in the "Exe", was perhaps the most interesting part of this story, and the only reason I stretch to 3/5.

pdurrant · 04-07-2021, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Bought back in December 2013!

An it was absolutely brilliant. A wonderful book.

Next up: Selected Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin, volume 2. I was disappointed by the first volume. I hope for better from this one.

Mike Hobart · 04-07-2021, 03:09 AM

Fear Stalks The Village by Ethel Lina White, best known today for The Lady Vanishes and The Spiral Staircase. She had written three novels before venturing into crime with this story, and it shows. Aside from the dead bodies and the quirky amateur detective, this feels more like one of E.F. Benson's Lucia stories than a whodunit.
Nevertheless, I read it with enjoyment and relished many of White's playful turns of phrase.

astrangerhere · 04-07-2021, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

An it was absolutely brilliant. A wonderful book.

Next up: Selected Stories of Ursula K. Le Guin, volume 2. I was disappointed by the first volume. I hope for better from this one.

My wife is reading her book on writing, Words Are My Matter, and she is getting into audible fights with it. I can hear her arguing with the woman from another room.

Uncle Robin · 04-07-2021, 01:07 PM

Nearly halfway through Improper Influence by Melissa F. Miller. Another enjoyable installment of the Sasha series, but I HATE the starry-eyed fetishization of Buddhism so common in the West.

Quote:

Connelly bent his head toward hers. “Buddhists won’t harm any living thing, Sasha. Not even in self-defense.

Rohingya rape camp victims in Myanmar, Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka, and Muslims in Thailand may find statements like the one above difficult to agree with, I suspect. And that's just contemporary victims of "nonviolent" Buddhists.

CRussel · 04-07-2021, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Bought back in December 2013!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

An it was absolutely brilliant. A wonderful book.

We read this for the NLBC back in 2019. I admit, I was very pleasantly surprised, given that I mostly don't enjoy Gaiman's books. Or, perhaps, when I first encountered him, I might well have just picked a bad place to start. IAC, I agree, a wonderful book.

Luffy · 04-07-2021, 03:28 PM

My 2 star review of Four Classic Alex Delaware Thrillers (Alex Delaware, #4, 7-9), by Jonathan Kellerman:-

Spoiler:

cc_in_oh · 04-07-2021, 04:25 PM

Warm weather means back to 2 hour walks with audiobooks. Finished J&W so on to Blandings and Summer Lightning. I'm a novice when it comes to audiobooks so take this FWIW which may not be much - John Wells is far and away the most brilliant reader I've had the pleasure to listen to. Not only does he evoke vivid images of the characters, but he can speed through the slower parts without missing a beat of diction or inflection, then slow down to roll the juicier passages off his tongue like vintage port. I had always thought anyone could read a book competently with a bit of practice, but I can now appreciate that reading is an art form in itself and Wells IMO is a genuine artist.

astrangerhere · 04-08-2021, 10:12 AM

My wife and I are about 10 plays in to our campaign play of Arkham Horror the Card Game. We both really love the mythos even though Lovecraft the man is problematic as hell.

Even so, I have been listening to a number of his short stories. It has been a delight to see all the references in the card game as well as how the publishers chose to update some content as well as making the cast more diverse.

The YouTube channel HorrorBabble has a number of well-read stories for listen.

04-07-2021, 03:28 PM	#29923
Luffy Wizard Posts: 4,464 Karma: 429063498 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Mauritius Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4	My 2 star review of Four Classic Alex Delaware Thrillers (Alex Delaware, #4, 7-9), by Jonathan Kellerman:- Spoiler: It is a given fact that omnibuses that get completed are usually awarded a high score, usually by the hardcore. It's not my pleasure to buck this trend. Kellerman lost my faith in him massively in this collection. He is not a thriller writer of the traditional ilk. He is a keen observer and a great describer. He is at his best when he reveals the details of people and their habitats. But the things he is good at are bad for the thriller genre. This bulky collection could have been a wonderful showcase of his talents and in a way they are. But Kellerman cannot make his victims count. He can show violence brilliantly, but cannot reveal the tragedy behind the violence. Whenever he succeeds at this though, it is at the expense of interest, suspense, pacing, and development.

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04-05-2021, 02:47 PM	#29913
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	For any nonfiction readers, I'm about 2/3 of the way through Mark Kurlansky's Paper: Paging Through History. A bit... thorough in places, but overall well-presented.

04-06-2021, 06:16 AM	#29916
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,661 Karma: 52758936 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra Colour	4.25/5 for Printer' Error - lots of interesting information and some perceptive and humble insights too

04-06-2021, 07:30 AM	#29917
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	*The Dark Realm* by Anthea Sharp, first of the Feyland series. A middle-grade sci-fi-fantasy with occasional leaning toward YA romance, loosely inspired by the Scottish legend of "Tam Lin". I did not find the fantasy parts of the story convincing, nor the main protagonist. I quite liked some of the casually introduced science-fiction, and I thought the Tam Linn character, with his family struggling to survive in the "Exe", was perhaps the most interesting part of this story, and the only reason I stretch to 3/5.

04-07-2021, 03:09 AM	#29919
Mike Hobart Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 640318 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Fear Stalks The Village by Ethel Lina White, best known today for The Lady Vanishes and The Spiral Staircase. She had written three novels before venturing into crime with this story, and it shows. Aside from the dead bodies and the quirky amateur detective, this feels more like one of E.F. Benson's Lucia stories than a whodunit. Nevertheless, I read it with enjoyment and relished many of White's playful turns of phrase.

04-07-2021, 04:25 PM	#29924
cc_in_oh Bob's my uncle Posts: 984 Karma: 17073086 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: NE OH Device: Kindle	Warm weather means back to 2 hour walks with audiobooks. Finished J&W so on to Blandings and Summer Lightning. I'm a novice when it comes to audiobooks so take this FWIW which may not be much - John Wells is far and away the most brilliant reader I've had the pleasure to listen to. Not only does he evoke vivid images of the characters, but he can speed through the slower parts without missing a beat of diction or inflection, then slow down to roll the juicier passages off his tongue like vintage port. I had always thought anyone could read a book competently with a bit of practice, but I can now appreciate that reading is an art form in itself and Wells IMO is a genuine artist.

04-08-2021, 10:12 AM	#29925
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,755 Karma: 68428716 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	My wife and I are about 10 plays in to our campaign play of Arkham Horror the Card Game. We both really love the mythos even though Lovecraft the man is problematic as hell. Even so, I have been listening to a number of his short stories. It has been a delight to see all the references in the card game as well as how the publishers chose to update some content as well as making the cast more diverse. The YouTube channel HorrorBabble has a number of well-read stories for listen.

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