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

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And now it's time for Grantville Gazette #74

Which was most enjoyable, as usual. I especially like the non-GG fantasy story at the end.

Next up: Poirot & Me by David Suchet.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next, another library book, The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan.

I enjoyed the wit and creativity but thought the plot was lacking suspense and originality. The number of coincidences and sudden escapes from sure death was astonishing. I was just waiting for them. Still I enjoyed it for what it was, basic, clean fun. Perhaps, this time it was what all the author was aiming for. Rated C [3 stars] for its humor.

Next TBD

[astrangerhere]

After finishing Richard Lloyd Parry's Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone, I needed a bit of a break. At Ann Leckie's recommendation, I am about 2/3 through R.E. Stearn's space pirate romp Barbary Station. From the description:

Adda and Iridian are newly-minted engineers, but in a solar system wracked by economic collapse after an interplanetary war, an engineering degree isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Desperate for gainful employment, they hijack a colony ship, planning to join a pirate crew at Barbary Station, an abandoned shipbreaking station in deep space.
...
There’s a glorious future in piracy…if they can survive long enough.

[MickeyC]

Just finished Artemis by Andy Weir and it was a very good read although I wouldn’t rate it quite as high as The Martian. Very colorful female protagonist making me think of the book as a lunar version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Next up The Midnight Line by Lee Child

[Dngrsone]

Finished Oddjobs by Heide Goody & Iain Grant. Very entertaining, with an interesting premise. Definitely going to read the second book.

[orlok]

Currently reading Midnight Line by Lee Child. As usual I don't want it to end.

[Dngrsone]

Finished listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; now moving on to Gillian Flynn's Dark Places for my commutes.

Reading Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock & Roll by Ann & Nancy Wilson with Charles R. Cross on the tablet. Something I read last year in dead-tree format but liked enough to purchase in electronic form.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

After finishing Richard Lloyd Parry's Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone, I needed a bit of a break. At Ann Leckie's recommendation, I am about 2/3 through R.E. Stearn's space pirate romp Barbary Station.

I did not like this as much as I had hoped. There just wasn't that much to it, in the end.

On now to Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders. The concept is interesting - an editor is reading a murder mystery manuscript and begins to suspect the author of real-life murder. The book-within-a-book structure is hard to pull off credibly, but in the first 50 pages or so Horowitz is doing it nicely.

[HarryT]

I've just finished "Great North Road", by Peter F. Hamilton, which it's taken me over a month to read. Wow! A sweeping blockbuster of an SF novel. At its heart a detective story set in 22nd-century Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but so much more than that, too. If you like your SF to be on a grand scale, this is definitely a book to read. Very, VERY highly recommended. Oh, and it's a completely standalone novel, too .

[CRussel]

Just started reading a new author for me, LJ Ross. The first book in the DCI Ryan series is Holy Island. Looks promising, but early days yet. Not an author I knew, she hasn't gotten much play in North America, but showed up on my Kindle Unlimited in my UK account, so I thought I'd give them a try.

[HarryT]

Unlike my last month-long read, "Landed Gently", by Alan Hunter, was a quick and enjoyable read. This is the fourth book in the "Inspector Gently" series, and sees Gently, invited to spend Christmas pike fishing in the north of England, involved with trying to solve the murder of an American Air Force officer staying in the local manor house. In many ways a classic "English Country House" murder mystery a la Agatha Christie. Nothing taxing, but a pleasant evening's entertainment.

[orlok]

Reading the latest horse-racing thriller from Felix Francis, Pulse. It's written from a first person perspective, about a medical doctor who helps out at race meets. It's the first time I can remember a Francis protagonist being female, but I could be wrong about that, given there are over 50 books between Dick and his son, all of which I've read over a period of almost as many years.

[HarryT]

Another quick read: "Killing Floor", by Lee Child; the first book in the "Jack Reacher" series. My first encounter with this author, and an enjoyable read. I generally consider it a bad idea when British authors write books set in the US, or vice versa, but this British author seems to have written a book which (to my British eyes, at least) feels authentically American (not that I'm in any position to judge, of course). I'd be interested to know if Americans think he does a good job?

The only "British-ism" I did notice is that, several times in the story, reference is made to a "mobile phone" (British), rather than a "cell phone" (American).

[Dr. Drib]

I'm totally immersed in "A Fine Balance," by Rohinton Mistry.

A beautifully written book with superb character development.

Highly recommended, if you enjoy literary fiction.

[John K]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Another quick read: "Killing Floor", by Lee Child; the first book in the "Jack Reacher" series. My first encounter with this author, and an enjoyable read. I generally consider it a bad idea when British authors write books set in the US, or vice versa, but this British author seems to have written a book which (to my British eyes, at least) feels authentically American (not that I'm in any position to judge, of course). I'd be interested to know if Americans think he does a good job?

The only "British-ism" I did notice is that, several times in the story, reference is made to a "mobile phone" (British), rather than a "cell phone" (American).

I would say he does a good job with "American-ism" but it's not something that I'm overly sensitive to. Word choice can vary between all the regions of this country so I tend to accept and often enjoy the variety. I don't recall any "British-isms" slipping in anywhere.

My first "cell phone" was one of those "lunch box" units in 1994. Where I was, in New England, we referred to them as "mobile phones". "Killing Floor" takes place 1997 I think. I'm not sure when "cell phone" became the dominate word choice.

"Killing Floor" stands out for me because of that first chapter. The first published words of a new author and I rate it one of the best beginnings I've ever read.