Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 2010

WT Sharpe · 07-06-2021, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

After All: Last Poems by William Matthews -- he can make everyday, ordinary language sing, make the ordinary pieces of life into mythology or fantasy. The poem 'Dire Cure' encapsulates the horrifying and exhausting experience of being thrust into the role of caregiver when a partner is suddenly diagnosed with, and treated for, cancer.

He delights in word play, especially exploring the meanings and contradictions, and evolution, of oxymorons. A quirky point of view wedded to a poet's ear for language. Mesmerizing.

Sounds good. I just had a sample sent to my Kindle. The "sample" consists entirely of the title and the table of contents.

gmw · 07-06-2021, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Sounds good. I just had a sample sent to my Kindle. The "sample" consists entirely of the title and the table of contents.

The preview on Kobo shows three short poems and suggests the book is 8k words (30 pages) ... which seems unlikely, and made me nervous about trying to buy it.

Mims · 07-06-2021, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Sounds good. I just had a sample sent to my Kindle. The "sample" consists entirely of the title and the table of contents.

https://smile.amazon.com/After-All-W.../dp/0618056858

I went ahead and bought it at Amazon. Only $1.99. 60 pages. Many poems.

I wanted to read Dire Cure but quickly realized I was not ready to deal with the emotions today.

poohbear_nc · 07-06-2021, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mims

https://smile.amazon.com/After-All-W.../dp/0618056858

I went ahead and bought it at Amazon. Only $1.99. 60 pages. Many poems.

I wanted to read Dire Cure but quickly realized I was not ready to deal with the emotions today.

It's a gut punch, emotionally.

But the range of poems encompasses a wide range of emotions and experiences - well worth the $1.99. Dip in randomly and enjoy!

WT Sharpe · 07-06-2021, 10:06 PM

Just bought on poohbear's recommendation.

Uncle Robin · 07-07-2021, 06:33 AM

Having just finished A Grave Matter the third book in the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber, time for a change of pace with Death in Damascus the fourth book in Karen Baugh Menuhin's Heathcliff Lennox series. Hopefully it will be more fun.

Uncle Robin · 07-07-2021, 07:45 AM

Taking a small break from Heathcliff Lennox to start The Best American Poetry 2019 to complete another element of my 2021 Reading Challenge. Somewhat bemused and a little put off to discover that the prologue is a lengthy discussion about the death of poetry. Apparently, the fact that the powerful and privileged no longer have utterly untrammeled freedom of speech and freedom of consequences from that speech is or may be an existential threat both to freedom of speech (i.e., their freedom to say what they like with no comeback of any sort) and poetry itself.

EDIT: The inclusion of works by Leonard Cohen and Margaret Atwood in The Best American Poetry 2019 suggests a broader definition of that geographical adjective than is common - or maybe it was just done to annoy those "other" Americans north of the 49th parallel. What makes it interesting is that the guest editor's own intro included a lengthy paean to "American" poetry in the more conventionally used "US" sense, then included poems from authors well-known for not being from the US.

poohbear_nc · 07-07-2021, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Just bought on poohbear's recommendation.

Can't wait to hear what you thought of it.
A completely unique voice -- an updated Frank O'Hara to my ear.

Uncle Robin · 07-07-2021, 09:43 AM

3/5 for Best American Poetry 2019 - lots of very dense prose poetry, and LOTS of blood. Enough to have this extreme hematophobe skimming large parts of the anthology. It was more overt sanguinary than the WW1 anthology I read earlier in the year.

An interesting end to Lloyd Schwartz' Vermeer's Pearl

Quote:

Scholars tell us that these pearls aren’t really pearls—no pearl so large has ever come to light.

No oyster could be big enough.

So the famous pearl is probably just glass painted to look like a pearl.

Pearl of no price.

Yet as you look, the illusion of the pearl—the painted pearl, glistening, radiant, fragile, but made real by the light it radiates—becomes before your eyes a metaphor for the girl wearing it.

Or if not the girl, then Vermeer’s painting of her.

taosaur · 07-07-2021, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmw

Apparently this been made into a movie called The Midnight Sky starring George Cluney,

A truly awful movie. Like, Armageddon levels.

I finished up the Red Mage books that are out, and it was adequate. I'm definitely down for future installments, and it has enough distinctive elements that Boyce's apocalypse has its own flavor, but it's hard to rate it better than "Okay." I moved on to probably the second most popular litRPG series on KU, Dungeon Crawler Carl, which is much more humor-driven than any of the previous series, and a good portion of the jokes do land. It also has more emotional realism than probably any of the other litRPG series I've read. Princess Donut, Carl's ex's show cat, has a fuller character than most of the people in those other books. Also, no politics! I mean, intergalactic politics, yes, but for the first time in a litRPG, there are zero manifestos or ham-fisted set pieces.

Fbone · 07-08-2021, 05:12 PM

Finished a freebie I picked up somewhere, In Plain Sight (Arcane Casebook #1) by Dan Willis.

I didn't hate it. The story moved along briskly. But the writing was so very simple and repetitious. Possibly only a 3rd grade reading level. The author may have been shooting for 1930s detective noir, however, in the end we got MA UF with a little violence and women with long legs. Rated D+ [2 stars].

Next, Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells. I thought this was a full novel. Disappointed that it's not.

gmw · 07-09-2021, 11:42 AM

The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas. Adult contemporary fantasy. This was excellent; only her second book and yet Mascarenhas is fast becoming a favourite author. The characters are wonderfully well drawn, not many of them all that likeable but all feel very real. This is - in some ways - a simpler tale than her first book, but it is layered with subtleties and fine detail. The little bit of magic sits so well in here, and the mixing of historical feel with modern setting is a neat touch. I loved the story and the way it played out. A rare (for me) 5/5.

pdurrant · 07-09-2021, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Just starting: Great Sky River by Gregory Benford. The third in his Galactic Centre series. I read the first two way back in 2011, but somehow never got to the third one. Let see if I remember anything!

It turns out to be pretty much a stand-alone. It was OK. A bit preachy at the end.
3/5

Next up: Blarney by Steve Hockensmith. A collection of his earlier published short stories. A recent freebie.

DiapDealer · 07-09-2021, 06:15 PM

Decided against (for now) plunging forward with book 2 of Peter F. Hamilton's Salvation Sequence. Starting Elizabeth Bear's Ancestral Night instead.

Uncle Robin · 07-09-2021, 08:09 PM

Just started Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary. I skipped Artemis due to the broadly consistent negative reviews, hoping this one will at least be as much fun as The Martian

07-07-2021, 07:45 AM	#30142
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	Taking a small break from Heathcliff Lennox to start The Best American Poetry 2019 to complete another element of my 2021 Reading Challenge. Somewhat bemused and a little put off to discover that the prologue is a lengthy discussion about the death of poetry. Apparently, the fact that the powerful and privileged no longer have utterly untrammeled freedom of speech *and* freedom of consequences from that speech is or may be an existential threat both to freedom of speech (i.e., their freedom to say what they like with no comeback of any sort) and poetry itself. EDIT: The inclusion of works by Leonard Cohen and Margaret Atwood in The Best American* Poetry 2019* suggests a broader definition of that geographical adjective than is common - or maybe it was just done to annoy those "other" Americans north of the 49th parallel. What makes it interesting is that the guest editor's own intro included a lengthy paean to "American" poetry in the more conventionally used "US" sense, then included poems from authors well-known for not being from the US. Last edited by Uncle Robin; 07-07-2021 at 08:19 AM.

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07-06-2021, 10:06 PM	#30140
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,073 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Just bought on poohbear's recommendation.

07-07-2021, 06:33 AM	#30141
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	Having just finished A Grave Matter the third book in the Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber, time for a change of pace with Death in Damascus the fourth book in Karen Baugh Menuhin's Heathcliff Lennox series. Hopefully it will be more fun.

07-08-2021, 05:12 PM	#30146
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,189 Karma: 100500000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	Finished a freebie I picked up somewhere, In Plain Sight (Arcane Casebook #1) by Dan Willis. I didn't hate it. The story moved along briskly. But the writing was so very simple and repetitious. Possibly only a 3rd grade reading level. The author may have been shooting for 1930s detective noir, however, in the end we got MA UF with a little violence and women with long legs. Rated D+ [2 stars]. Next, Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells. I thought this was a full novel. Disappointed that it's not.

07-09-2021, 11:42 AM	#30147
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,809 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	*The Thief on the Winged Horse* by Kate Mascarenhas. Adult contemporary fantasy. This was excellent; only her second book and yet Mascarenhas is fast becoming a favourite author. The characters are wonderfully well drawn, not many of them all that likeable but all feel very real. This is - in some ways - a simpler tale than her first book, but it is layered with subtleties and fine detail. The little bit of magic sits so well in here, and the mixing of historical feel with modern setting is a neat touch. I loved the story and the way it played out. A rare (for me) 5/5.

07-09-2021, 06:15 PM	#30149
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 27,549 Karma: 193191846 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	Decided against (for now) plunging forward with book 2 of Peter F. Hamilton's Salvation Sequence. Starting Elizabeth Bear's Ancestral Night instead.

07-09-2021, 08:09 PM	#30150
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	Just started Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary. I skipped Artemis due to the broadly consistent negative reviews, hoping this one will at least be as much fun as The Martian

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