Books you're currently reading??? - Page 123

Gravdigr · 08-04-2010, 03:14 AM

Starting Louis L'Amour's "Silver Canyon" later this morning.

Sundae · 08-04-2010, 06:33 AM

According to my online library card I've checked out 195 books since May last year.
I'm going to go back and try to pick out at least some, as I feel I let you down badly by being such an infrequent reviewer.
Not all of course.
Some I barely remember and some I simply didn't care about enough to comment on.

These will not include biographies/ autobiographies as I think they depend on an interest in the subject (Alan Carr, anyone? Julian Clary? Both exceptional books).
Or books I've been lent - some of which have been superb.

Marco and the Blade of Night - Thom Madley
A tween book - quite good as I remember. I still read these because they almost always have a rollicking good narrative. It's set in Glastonbury and certainly made me want to visit there.

Aenir/ The Fall/ Castle - Garth Nix
I have little memory of these. I think I was going through a bad patch and wanted the comfort of fantasy aimed at children. Diana Wynne Jones almost always delivers, Philip Pullman less reliably but packs a pucnh when he does, Margaret Mahy's books often haunt me even if I've not been charmed at the time... Garth Nix - not so much. As always a good narrative, but the endless writing of series is wearing, Stories never seem fully completed.

The Dead Fathers' Club - Matt Haig
Very good! Based on Hamlet, but I got that from the cover. Knowing that, I was able to pick up the sly references throughout the text. I suppose it is a coming-of-age story as much as a Shakespeare homage, in that the protagonist is only 11. A lovely combination of fate and reality which comes to a believable conclusion.

Lucy's Monster - R L Royle
Do not read. Dreadful book. Riddled with plot holes big enough to trash Jinx's Jeep. And not even properly proofread - some real zingers of mistakes. I actually complained to the librarian when I took it back, suggesting they removed it from the shelves. And I didn't finish it. And that is so not like me.

Blood is the New Black - Valerie Stivers
Worth reading for vampire fans simply for the frothy treatment of vampires meet fashion. Set at a magazine HQ - Tasty - it's The Devil Wears Prade meets any recent lightweight vamp fic. Nicely written at least.

Procession of the Dead - Darren Shan
A really good read. Dark, fantastic, confusing in places (confusion later resolves) a cross between a gangster novel and something along the lines of Ian Banks' The Bridge. It's not real life, although it's gritty. It's not fantasy but it isn't set anywhere recognisable. Something like Murakami. It's the first of a trilogy and I'm now writing down the author's name as I'm determined to read the rest of them!

Creepers - David Morrell
Okay. Pretty much a pedestrian suspense/ spook novel about people who go exploring in abandoned buildings getting more than they bargained for. More could have been done with it.

The Family of Max Desir - Robert Ferro
Wonderful, moving novel about a gay man's relationship with his family and how it changes over time and due to outside events. At times heartwarming and brutal.

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist
Something went wrong about the time I had this book out of the library. I read 2/3 of it, enjoyed it enormously, got a library fine for it but didn't finish it. I think the 'rents might have been away and I was on a drunk. It's now another I have on my list to get out again. It's a densely plotted novel, set in what would appear to be Victorian Europe - perhaps even London - with a twist. It's proper fantasy, with its own rules and regulations, but tethered to the feeling of a particular time and place. Rather wonderful as I remember, dark and atmospheric and complex.

Tis enough for now. I hope to come back to this (I'm up to August 2009), my library session has just timed out.

wanderer · 08-04-2010, 06:48 AM

"The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre"
.....its bit a difficult read for me as per Lovecraft's writing style. But as soon as I was engrossed within myth and darkness of the book, it didn't matter any more.
Highly recommended.

classicman · 08-04-2010, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Starting Louis L'Amour's "Silver Canyon" later this morning.

Read every single book he wrote many years ago. Then read them all again. Loved his westerns. Another good man gone.

wolf · 08-04-2010, 01:24 PM

Breakthrough! (Free Book for a Limited Time): How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World (Kindle Edition) - Jon Queijo

I am fascinated by the subject, and I also really like the "free" part.

Griff · 08-04-2010, 03:24 PM

Is the whole book free or is this a partial?

wolf · 08-06-2010, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff

Is the whole book free or is this a partial?

A month or two ago it was a free chapter. This week it's a whole free book, not sure how long the offer is good. B&N wants $20 for a nook download. (I check because I have two friends with nooks, and I try to include the nooklink in my recommendations to them)

Griff · 08-06-2010, 11:21 AM

Coolness

GunMaster357 · 08-09-2010, 07:04 AM

Just finished re-reading the Diana Tregarde trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

- Children of the night
- Burning water
- Jinx High

wolf · 08-09-2010, 01:12 PM

I really enjoyed those. I wonder if I still have them ...

I'm reading an electronic galley of 2010 Best American Comics.

There's a site called netgalley.com that allows you to sign up for review copies of prepub galleys. I just started getting books from them (mostly electronic).

Pete Zicato · 08-12-2010, 10:13 AM

There have been a number of people here who liked the Stieg Larsson trilogy.

There's a spoof on the series at The New Yorker by Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) called The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut.

wolf · 08-12-2010, 10:59 AM

Comes a Time for Burning - Steven Haverill

another electronic galley, the book is due for publication in February 2011, according to amazon.com.

It's a frontier medical thriller. I know I'm staring a number of anachronisms right in the face, but I'm trying to look past that and just enjoy the story.

plthijinx · 08-12-2010, 10:04 PM

am into the left behind series. on book three of eight now.....

wolf · 08-13-2010, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plthijinx

am into the left behind series. on book three of eight now.....

I only read the first one, but enjoyed it more than I expected.

I liked Joel Rosenberg's series that starts with The Last Jihad better.

Griff · 08-15-2010, 11:13 AM

Bloody Mohawk by Richard Berleth was my main beach book this week. It is a narrative history of the Mohawk Valley but by necessity extends its reach into Pennsylvania. It is an excellent read so far. You see the Iroquois making some pretty astute political moves but they knew and from here we know, it was only a matter of time before they lost their grip on the land.

As an aside, I had to rebuff a Baptist proselytizer who was reading Cooper's The Prairie and saw it as an opening to request my email address. I still managed to recommend the book to him, I wonder if it will have any effect on his chosen people view of American history.

08-04-2010, 03:14 AM	#1831
Gravdigr The Un-Tuckian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Central...KY that is Posts: 39,517	Starting Louis L'Amour's "Silver Canyon" later this morning. __________________ These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, EPA, FBI, DEA, CDC, or FDIC. These statements are not intended to diagnose, cause, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you feel you have been harmed/offended by, or, disagree with any of the above statements or images, please feel free to fuck right off.

08-04-2010, 06:48 AM	#1833
wanderer Master of the Domain Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 225	"The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre" .....its bit a difficult read for me as per Lovecraft's writing style. But as soon as I was engrossed within myth and darkness of the book, it didn't matter any more. Highly recommended. __________________ smoke on the water

08-04-2010, 01:24 PM	#1835
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Breakthrough! (Free Book for a Limited Time): How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World (Kindle Edition) - Jon Queijo I am fascinated by the subject, and I also really like the "free" part. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

08-04-2010, 03:24 PM	#1836
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Is the whole book free or is this a partial? __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-06-2010, 11:21 AM	#1838
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Coolness __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-04-2010, 06:33 AM	#1832
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	According to my online library card I've checked out 195 books since May last year. I'm going to go back and try to pick out at least some, as I feel I let you down badly by being such an infrequent reviewer. Not all of course. Some I barely remember and some I simply didn't care about enough to comment on. These will not include biographies/ autobiographies as I think they depend on an interest in the subject (Alan Carr, anyone? Julian Clary? Both exceptional books). Or books I've been lent - some of which have been superb. Marco and the Blade of Night - Thom Madley A tween book - quite good as I remember. I still read these because they almost always have a rollicking good narrative. It's set in Glastonbury and certainly made me want to visit there. Aenir/ The Fall/ Castle - Garth Nix I have little memory of these. I think I was going through a bad patch and wanted the comfort of fantasy aimed at children. Diana Wynne Jones almost always delivers, Philip Pullman less reliably but packs a pucnh when he does, Margaret Mahy's books often haunt me even if I've not been charmed at the time... Garth Nix - not so much. As always a good narrative, but the endless writing of series is wearing, Stories never seem fully completed. The Dead Fathers' Club - Matt Haig Very good! Based on Hamlet, but I got that from the cover. Knowing that, I was able to pick up the sly references throughout the text. I suppose it is a coming-of-age story as much as a Shakespeare homage, in that the protagonist is only 11. A lovely combination of fate and reality which comes to a believable conclusion. Lucy's Monster - R L Royle Do not read. Dreadful book. Riddled with plot holes big enough to trash Jinx's Jeep. And not even properly proofread - some real zingers of mistakes. I actually complained to the librarian when I took it back, suggesting they removed it from the shelves. And I didn't finish it. And that is so not like me. Blood is the New Black - Valerie Stivers Worth reading for vampire fans simply for the frothy treatment of vampires meet fashion. Set at a magazine HQ - Tasty - it's The Devil Wears Prade meets any recent lightweight vamp fic. Nicely written at least. Procession of the Dead - Darren Shan A really good read. Dark, fantastic, confusing in places (confusion later resolves) a cross between a gangster novel and something along the lines of Ian Banks' The Bridge. It's not real life, although it's gritty. It's not fantasy but it isn't set anywhere recognisable. Something like Murakami. It's the first of a trilogy and I'm now writing down the author's name as I'm determined to read the rest of them! Creepers - David Morrell Okay. Pretty much a pedestrian suspense/ spook novel about people who go exploring in abandoned buildings getting more than they bargained for. More could have been done with it. The Family of Max Desir - Robert Ferro Wonderful, moving novel about a gay man's relationship with his family and how it changes over time and due to outside events. At times heartwarming and brutal. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - Gordon Dahlquist Something went wrong about the time I had this book out of the library. I read 2/3 of it, enjoyed it enormously, got a library fine for it but didn't finish it. I think the 'rents might have been away and I was on a drunk. It's now another I have on my list to get out again. It's a densely plotted novel, set in what would appear to be Victorian Europe - perhaps even London - with a twist. It's proper fantasy, with its own rules and regulations, but tethered to the feeling of a particular time and place. Rather wonderful as I remember, dark and atmospheric and complex. Tis enough for now. I hope to come back to this (I'm up to August 2009), my library session has just timed out.

08-09-2010, 07:04 AM	#1839
GunMaster357 Professor Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Brest (FRANCE) Posts: 1,837	Just finished re-reading the Diana Tregarde trilogy by Mercedes Lackey - Children of the night - Burning water - Jinx High __________________ "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." - Ambrose Bierce

08-09-2010, 01:12 PM	#1840
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I really enjoyed those. I wonder if I still have them ... I'm reading an electronic galley of 2010 Best American Comics. There's a site called netgalley.com that allows you to sign up for review copies of prepub galleys. I just started getting books from them (mostly electronic). __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

08-12-2010, 10:13 AM	#1841
Pete Zicato Turns out my CRS is a symptom of TMB. Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chicago suburbs Posts: 2,916	There have been a number of people here who liked the Stieg Larsson trilogy. There's a spoof on the series at The New Yorker by Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) called The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut. __________________ Talk nerdy to me.

08-12-2010, 10:59 AM	#1842
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Comes a Time for Burning - Steven Haverill another electronic galley, the book is due for publication in February 2011, according to amazon.com. It's a frontier medical thriller. I know I'm staring a number of anachronisms right in the face, but I'm trying to look past that and just enjoy the story. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

08-12-2010, 10:04 PM	#1843
plthijinx Master Dwellar Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 4,197	am into the left behind series. on book three of eight now..... __________________ For your dreams to come true, you must first have a dream.

08-15-2010, 11:13 AM	#1845
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Bloody Mohawk by Richard Berleth was my main beach book this week. It is a narrative history of the Mohawk Valley but by necessity extends its reach into Pennsylvania. It is an excellent read so far. You see the Iroquois making some pretty astute political moves but they knew and from here we know, it was only a matter of time before they lost their grip on the land. As an aside, I had to rebuff a Baptist proselytizer who was reading Cooper's The Prairie and saw it as an opening to request my email address. I still managed to recommend the book to him, I wonder if it will have any effect on his chosen people view of American history. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

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