Best books you've read in the past couple months? - Page 3

Illinifan · 03-09-2011, 07:51 PM

"How I Kill Pluto and Why It Had It Coming" by Mike Brown.

Excellent personal insight from a top notch astronomer.

carpetmojo · 03-10-2011, 06:22 AM

Bit obvious, considering my prediliction for James Lee Burke, of course "The Glass Rainbow", but also, a work I'd been meaning to read for 40 years, it seemed - " The Heart of Darkness" at last ticked off.

And God, what a piece of work that is - and neither it, or Coppola's Viet version, suffered by an inevitable comparison, the film was just different.
But I got many a wierd mental "tickle" when similarities popped up. Excellent.

pdurrant · 03-10-2011, 07:07 AM

My two best this year are

Emissaries from the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro

and

Saturn's Children by Charlie Stross

Both far future SF, one in deep space, and one set in our solar system.

januaryman · 03-10-2011, 09:15 AM

James Joyce's Dubliners - readable, enjoyable, beautiful.

Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists - Some tales better than others, but a good modern take on the short story collection as novel.

Dylan Thomas' A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog - Thomas' take on the Joyce's classic bio/novel is a a series of lovely, lyrical descriptions of his growing up in Wales. Loved it so much I just ordered his "Collected Stories," which also contains the whole of this now-favorite book.

I guess I'm on a short story kick. Although Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which I just finished and also appreciated, is a novella.

SeaBookGuy · 03-10-2011, 10:18 AM

Interesting coincidence, Januaryman - I'm reading The Imperfectionists now, as well as listening to The Dubliners on audio.

I dropped by here to plug Bill Bryson's At Home, which should be one of my top couple of reads for the year.

JaneD · 03-11-2011, 05:23 PM

My favorites in the last couple months:
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Unbreakable by Laura Hillenbrand
Flash For Freedom! by George MacDonald Fraser
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I know, I'm embarrassed to put it in the same list with these others, but it was a really fun read!)

SameOldStory · 03-11-2011, 09:04 PM

The Man Who Would Be King. It's one that has been on my TBR list for quite some time. I shouldn't have waited so long.

It's a very short story so if anyone wants to take a break from the book that there’re reading I would strongly recommend it.

I really, really, liked the movie, but the story as told by Kipling in this book leaves you holding your breath and unable to move until the last word.

Horror today means chainsaws or monsters. Kipling can convey a sense of horror on a human scale that the slash & gash films can't do with a dozen bodies.

amybobamy · 03-13-2011, 03:42 AM

Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen -- Such entirely human and completely defective characters, that it's hard not to feel empathy. A modern version of Emma Bovary (which is one of my favorite novels of all time for just the same reason).

doreenjoy · 03-13-2011, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

The Ninth Directive by Adam Hall

A spy story so good I read only a chapter a day to savor it and stretch out the pleasure!

http://www.amazon.com/Ninth-Directiv...9704449&sr=1-1

I really wish this one was available as an e-book (I can't read paper books anymore; fonts too small).

SameOldStory · 03-13-2011, 07:13 PM

I haven’t read that one but after reading it's description on Amazon I can recommend another book.

Dimiter by William Blatty. And best of all it’s available as an ebook.

This is a book more along the lines of John leCarré. A little action here and there, but a lot of plot unraveling. As with leCarré keep alert for the small bits and pieces that'll be important later.

From eBooks.com;
“William Peter Blatty has thrilled generations of readers with his iconic mega-bestseller The Exorcist. Now Blatty gives us Dimiter, a riveting story of murder, revenge, and suspense. Laced with themes of faith and love, sin and forgiveness, vengeance and compassion, it is a novel in the grand tradition of Morris West’s The Devil’s Advocate and the Catholic novels of Graham Greene.”

wilreon · 03-14-2011, 12:15 PM

Hi
Can anyone name a couple of good cowboy books to read,
nothing to long just a good old western

SameOldStory · 03-14-2011, 01:05 PM

I have 10 books high on my TBR list. One of them is Guns of the Timberlands by Louis L'Amour.

The absolute best stories, I think, are any in the Sacketts series.

If you choose to start reading them, Sackett's Land is a great place to start out. Also, it starts the story of Barnabas Sackett having to leave England and settle in the "new world", the original west if you will.

But each of the stories can be read on it' own.

I know you asked for something "short", but I'm sure you'll find something by L'Amour that is both short and good.

LeoMartin · 03-14-2011, 02:28 PM

I loved reading The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump. Yes, he's overly confident, but a fascinating book and look into how he gets things done.

doreenjoy · 03-14-2011, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilreon

Hi
Can anyone name a couple of good cowboy books to read,
nothing to long just a good old western

There are some great old Gold Medal westerns here in the Mobile Reads library. I particularly like the two Desperado books by Clifton Adams.

Click Ebooks in the forum header, then search away.

carpetmojo · 03-15-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeoMartin

I loved reading The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump. Yes, he's overly confident, but a fascinating book and look into how he gets things done.

Including the hair-over ?

Now that would be a read................

03-10-2011, 06:22 AM	#32
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Bit obvious, considering my prediliction for James Lee Burke, of course "The Glass Rainbow", but also, a work I'd been meaning to read for 40 years, it seemed - " The Heart of Darkness" at last ticked off. And God, what a piece of work that is - and neither it, or Coppola's Viet version, suffered by an inevitable comparison, the film was just different. But I got many a wierd mental "tickle" when similarities popped up. Excellent. Last edited by carpetmojo; 03-10-2011 at 06:22 AM. Reason: Typo..

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03-09-2011, 07:51 PM	#31
Illinifan Connoisseur Posts: 95 Karma: 210032 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dayton, OH Device: iPad 4, iPhone 4, iPod touch, Sony PRS 300	"How I Kill Pluto and Why It Had It Coming" by Mike Brown. Excellent personal insight from a top notch astronomer.

03-10-2011, 07:07 AM	#33
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,948 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	My two best this year are Emissaries from the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro and Saturn's Children by Charlie Stross Both far future SF, one in deep space, and one set in our solar system.

03-10-2011, 09:15 AM	#34
januaryman Used DTBs & iPad User Posts: 86 Karma: 48 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Earth Device: iPad	James Joyce's Dubliners - readable, enjoyable, beautiful. Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists - Some tales better than others, but a good modern take on the short story collection as novel. Dylan Thomas' A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog - Thomas' take on the Joyce's classic bio/novel is a a series of lovely, lyrical descriptions of his growing up in Wales. Loved it so much I just ordered his "Collected Stories," which also contains the whole of this now-favorite book. I guess I'm on a short story kick. Although Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which I just finished and also appreciated, is a novella.

03-10-2011, 10:18 AM	#35
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	Interesting coincidence, Januaryman - I'm reading The Imperfectionists now, as well as listening to The Dubliners on audio. I dropped by here to plug Bill Bryson's At Home, which should be one of my top couple of reads for the year.

03-11-2011, 05:23 PM	#36
JaneD Addict Posts: 324 Karma: 1057749 Join Date: May 2010 Location: LA, CA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2013	My favorites in the last couple months: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Unbreakable by Laura Hillenbrand Flash For Freedom! by George MacDonald Fraser The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I know, I'm embarrassed to put it in the same list with these others, but it was a really fun read!)

03-11-2011, 09:04 PM	#37
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	The Man Who Would Be King. It's one that has been on my TBR list for quite some time. I shouldn't have waited so long. It's a very short story so if anyone wants to take a break from the book that there’re reading I would strongly recommend it. I really, really, liked the movie, but the story as told by Kipling in this book leaves you holding your breath and unable to move until the last word. Horror today means chainsaws or monsters. Kipling can convey a sense of horror on a human scale that the slash & gash films can't do with a dozen bodies.

03-13-2011, 03:42 AM	#38
amybobamy Befuddled Neophyte Posts: 49 Karma: 3138 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Nook Color	Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen -- Such entirely human and completely defective characters, that it's hard not to feel empathy. A modern version of Emma Bovary (which is one of my favorite novels of all time for just the same reason).

03-13-2011, 07:13 PM	#40
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	I haven’t read that one but after reading it's description on Amazon I can recommend another book. Dimiter by William Blatty. And best of all it’s available as an ebook. This is a book more along the lines of John leCarré. A little action here and there, but a lot of plot unraveling. As with leCarré keep alert for the small bits and pieces that'll be important later. From eBooks.com; “William Peter Blatty has thrilled generations of readers with his iconic mega-bestseller The Exorcist. Now Blatty gives us Dimiter, a riveting story of murder, revenge, and suspense. Laced with themes of faith and love, sin and forgiveness, vengeance and compassion, it is a novel in the grand tradition of Morris West’s The Devil’s Advocate and the Catholic novels of Graham Greene.”

03-14-2011, 12:15 PM	#41
wilreon Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Windsor,England Device: kindle	Hi Can anyone name a couple of good cowboy books to read, nothing to long just a good old western

03-14-2011, 01:05 PM	#42
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	I have 10 books high on my TBR list. One of them is Guns of the Timberlands by Louis L'Amour. The absolute best stories, I think, are any in the Sacketts series. If you choose to start reading them, Sackett's Land is a great place to start out. Also, it starts the story of Barnabas Sackett having to leave England and settle in the "new world", the original west if you will. But each of the stories can be read on it' own. I know you asked for something "short", but I'm sure you'll find something by L'Amour that is both short and good.

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03-14-2011, 02:28 PM	#43
LeoMartin Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle	I loved reading The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump. Yes, he's overly confident, but a fascinating book and look into how he gets things done.