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

[Irish Lion]

Currently reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. It's surprisingly insightful, as well as quirky and entertaining.

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I'll have to put that on my list. I really enjoyed the curious incident one and have been meaning to read some more Haddon.

And I just added Dog to my to-read list.

About Boom!, I think it's not as original as Dog, but it's the first Mark Haddon's I've read and I still liked it very much. Simple story, funny language, lovely characters. Telegraph's review is negative, though.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

Catching Fire was a very interesting and entertaining read, now on to Mockingjay!!

I just finished reading Mockingjay thus finishing the trilogy. Enjoyed it a lot and am looking forward to Netflix getting the movie on DVD! I think I'm going to read Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas next.

[melmac]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I just finished reading Mockingjay thus finishing the trilogy. Enjoyed it a lot and am looking forward to Netflix getting the movie on DVD! I think I'm going to read Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas next.

I really enjoyed Odd Thomas not so fond of the second book but am still planning on giving the third a go. It is also getting a movie release
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1767354/ I think they have cast Odd very well and look forward to seeing it.

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I'll have to put that on my list. I really enjoyed the curious incident one and have been meaning to read some more Haddon.

I devoured Haddon's book A Spot of Bother. Thought it was thoroughly entertaining. It's quite a bit more adult than Boom but has a whimsy to it. I read it in one sitting which is pretty rare for me.

[caleb72]

I just finished Kraken by China Mieville. It was runner-up this month in the MR book club. The winner was Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Interesting as I think of Kraken as one part Neverwhere, another part American Gods.

It was a great book and I really enjoyed it. However, where it shared some common ground with Gaiman, it also had a sophistication to it that made it a bit of a slow read for me. The chapters were pretty small and I often felt that a chapter or two was enough per sitting.

Now I'm reading Diary of the Displaced by Glynn James. It's a much more straight-forward read but 20% in and I'm sensing something about the style/mood. I'm not sure if I'm sensing a Poe influence or a Lovecraft influence. I don't know how I can pick between the two as I've never read either - but I feel it all the same. Is that weird?

This book will feature on my indie review site.

[mewmartigan]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I enjoyed the book, and it would be unfair to say that nothing happens. But it's certainly just one more step in the saga without a significant story arc of its own.

I just finished A Rising Thunder and I agree...it was enjoyable but seemed to be just getting all the ducks in a row for the next book. It also seems like the series is coming to a head and doesn't have many books left (not counting all the side novels).

I noticed on Weber's site that A Rising Thunder is listed as an Honorverse novel and not a main line Honor Harrington novel. Maybe it was just a typo but Honor certainly did have a smaller role in it.

Not sure what I will read next....

[Greg P]

Project Gutenberg. All you need to know.

There is a wealth of books there, in many languages in addition to English. All free.

Some recs:

Anything by Charles Dickens, maybe in particular A Tale of Two Cities.
Boswell's biography of Samuel Johnson.
Mark Twain's A Tramp Abroad
Moby Dick by Melville (this is an awesome, yet very long book)
A History of the Plague in London, by Daniel Defoe

You may think you know some of these, but reading the original book is more entertaining and interesting than any synopsis or Hollywood movie based on the novel.

[pilotbob]

Well, I just finished the audio book of _Along Came a Spider_. It was ok, 3 of 5 stars... however, not really as good as I expected. I thought this would be my first of the whole Alex Cross series, but now I'm not so sure. Should I continue, do they get better?

Still reading _Darkness on the Edge of Town_. It isn't awesome but not bad. It has started getting better in the later parts and I want to see how it ends.

After that one there are still two more books in the 4 book thriller series from Amazon that was $.99 at the time. I'll probably read those next. After that...

From reading this thread there are so many other series, stuff that I want to get to:

Dexter
A Game of Thrones
Discworld (not sure where to start, but from reading here I thing either with Mort or Gaurds! Gaurds)
Dresden Files

Not sure which of the above to go with...

Also... a few single books I have on my wish list:

Cutting for Stone
Zoo City
Moxyland
Endgame Enigma
Under the Dome
The Analyst
Fall of Giants (to expensive right now)
11/22/63 (also too expensive right now)


What to read, what to read. Of course, my birthday is this sunday... so if anyone really thinks I should read one I'm happy to provide the link to my wishlist.

Suggestions?

BOb

PS: Not any book written by or about Paris Hilton, thank you very much.

[mewmartigan]

On a recommendation from this thread, I just started reading Crusade by David Weber and Steve White.

I notice that Insurrection was published first but chronology-wise is 3rd in the series?

Are the two books not written by Weber an actual continuation (i.e. Dave left the story unfinished) or just set in the same world?

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Dexter

I wouldn't bother with the Dexter books unless you're a massive massive fan of the TV show. The first season followed the first book pretty closely (although it fleshed out a lot of the supporting cast, who are sort of two-dimensional characters in the book), but after that the TV show goes off and does its own thing. The books have supernatural stuff starting with book three and everyone in town pretty much knows that Dexter is a serial killer. The books aren't very good and I gave up after the third one. From what I've heard from other people who've read the later ones, it doesn't get any better.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by alansplace

I just finished reading Mockingjay thus finishing the trilogy. Enjoyed it a lot and am looking forward to Netflix getting the movie on DVD! I think I'm going to read Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas next.

Originally Posted by melmac

I really enjoyed Odd Thomas not so fond of the second book but am still planning on giving the third a go. It is also getting a movie release
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1767354/ I think they have cast Odd very well and look forward to seeing it.

I'm just halfway through chapter 2, but already Koontz has irritated me with his huge major spoiler for an Agatha Christie novel that's on my TBR list. Anyway with that point aside, I've got the feeling of Kurt Vonnegut meets Stephen King about Odd Thomas! Interesting and entertaining, to say the least. Oh yes, I was aware of the movie (and the cast and location) which was why Odd Thomas was on my wish list (above the many other Dean Koontz books that I've not yet read).

[orlok]

Originally Posted by tecweston

I wouldn't bother with the Dexter books unless you're a massive massive fan of the TV show. The first season followed the first book pretty closely (although it fleshed out a lot of the supporting cast, who are sort of two-dimensional characters in the book), but after that the TV show goes off and does its own thing. The books have supernatural stuff starting with book three and everyone in town pretty much knows that Dexter is a serial killer. The books aren't very good and I gave up after the third one. From what I've heard from other people who've read the later ones, it doesn't get any better.

Not sure I read the same Dexter series as you . Supernatural stuff? Apart from the Dark Passenger, I don't remember anything specific, and bear in mind the TV series has the dead Dad mentoring him. And I don't agree that everyone in town knows he is a serial killer. Which book is that in?

I like the books, though I agree the TV series has the edge, and has diverged radically in storyline (I won't give any spoilers), but I would still recommend reading the books if you like the TV show.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Well, I just finished the audio book of _Along Came a Spider_. It was ok, 3 of 5 stars... however, not really as good as I expected. I thought this would be my first of the whole Alex Cross series, but now I'm not so sure. Should I continue, do they get better?

Still reading _Darkness on the Edge of Town_. It isn't awesome but not bad. It has started getting better in the later parts and I want to see how it ends.

After that one there are still two more books in the 4 book thriller series from Amazon that was $.99 at the time. I'll probably read those next. After that...

From reading this thread there are so many other series, stuff that I want to get to:

Dexter
A Game of Thrones
Discworld (not sure where to start, but from reading here I thing either with Mort or Gaurds! Gaurds)
Dresden Files

Not sure which of the above to go with...

Also... a few single books I have on my wish list:

Cutting for Stone
Zoo City
Moxyland
Endgame Enigma
Under the Dome
The Analyst
Fall of Giants (to expensive right now)
11/22/63 (also too expensive right now)


What to read, what to read. Of course, my birthday is this sunday... so if anyone really thinks I should read one I'm happy to provide the link to my wishlist.

Suggestions?

BOb

PS: Not any book written by or about Paris Hilton, thank you very much.

The Dresden Files , of course!

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by orlok

Not sure I read the same Dexter series as you . Supernatural stuff? Apart from the Dark Passenger, I don't remember anything specific, and bear in mind the TV series has the dead Dad mentoring him. And I don't agree that everyone in town knows he is a serial killer. Which book is that in?

I like the books, though I agree the TV series has the edge, and has diverged radically in storyline (I won't give any spoilers), but I would still recommend reading the books if you like the TV show.

Well, spoilers abound here for anyone who hasn't read the Dexter books.

Spoiler:

The third book has a ton of supernatural stuff in it. Unlike the show, in which his "dark passenger" is a metaphor for his troubled past, he literally is possessed by an ancient demon he refers to as his "dark passenger." Also, I haven't read it but I've heard from someone who has that "Dexter is Delicious" is about vampires.

As far as people knowing he's a serial killer, from what I remember, his brother is still alive (unlike the TV show), and he is training both Astor and Cody to become serial killers as well. Deb knows he's a serial killer (although she knows on the show now as well). It's like a big family secret that he's out there killing people, unlike on the show where he keeps it from everyone.