Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Dr. Sanders referenced this book today. Apparently reading it as well (re-reading maybe, in his case).Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
It's really good (so far).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Dr. Sanders referenced this book today. Apparently reading it as well (re-reading maybe, in his case).Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
It's really good (so far).
Got into a classics kick recently. Working through The Iliad right now and, if I don't lose my steam, will read the Odyssey after.
Earlier this year I picked up the Iliad and knocked out a few books (picking up from where I'd left off years ago) but lost steam and it got put back on the shelf (probably when the libraries opened for curbside pickup). I guess there is a chance I finish it this year, but it's a slim one. What translation are you reading? Not reading it in Greek are you?Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
Fagles is the translation I’m using. My greek has atrophied.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
That's what I have. I love the look of my edition, but it's hard for me to just sit down and slog through the text (where I really don't mind longish works of prose fiction).Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
The Odyssey is about Odysseus.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
The Iliad is about Iliadeus.
https://i.etsystatic.com/24868263/r/...83694_7f33.jpg
Nope, not getting political. Relax. But the book 1984, written by English novelist George Orwell, was published in 1949, and takes place in an imagined future --supposedly 1984-- when much of the world has already fallen victim to totalitarianism, government censorship, propaganda and mass omnipresent government surveillance. The book --which many have heard about but few have actually read-- is captivating. Though the book is a work of fiction, many people can't help but compare much of its contents to what is actually happening today. Thus the T-shirt the young lady is wearing above.
Unless they completed 11th grade.Quote:
Originally Posted by HogDawg
Daft Punk's entire Tron: Legacy soundtrack.
I think I've seen you reference being a musician, so it's possible that you're reading the sheet music, but otherwise you may have posted in the wrong thread. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by JuBru
I'd have to imagine reading a Daft Punk album all written out would be quite an exercise (as someone who can't read music).
Saw a video on YouTube listing 10 books every man must read. When I googled the search there were a number of different lists. Some list were as few as five.
Anyway, I thought some of you serious readers here may want to give us your list of 5. Not so much self help or inspirational, but just list books you enjoyed to the point of maybe reading them more than one time.
That's going to take some thought.Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
Pretty much. It was a good weekend.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Are a series of books consider one or is each book separate?Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
Reporter/Writer Tom Aswell's "Bordello on the Bayou".
Baton Rouge, the Capitol, politics, lobbyists, CallGals.
Just out last month.
Can't wait to find the non-fiction in this fiction . . . .
yes, I love Larry McMurtrey’s stuff, but not all of them are as good as Lonesome Dove.Quote:
Originally Posted by JuBru
Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
Not necessarily "books every man should read" or even maybe my top 5 favorites. But the ones I tend to revisit because I just really love reading them might look something like:Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
1. Mere Christianity (cheating here, this would also be on a "should read" AND a favorites list).
2. I might actually say that East of Eden is my favorite Steinbeck, and there was a time I would have called it my favorite novel - but his book that I've probably re-read most often is Cannery Row. It's really good. If they only made you read Grapes of Wrath and The Red Pony and Of Mice and Men in high school, you should look it up.
3. I'd probably include either The Long Goodbye or The Big Sleep as books I re-read often just for the vibe. They're so cool (depending on just how cynical you want your hard-boiled noir you might sub in Hammet for Chandler and say The Thin Man or The Maltese Falcon).
4. The Lord of the Rings triology probably on up there. If we're sticking to just one "book" which is debatable with these (there are multiple "books" within each "book" or you could argue that the whole thing should be taken as a whole) then I'd say The Two Towers is my favorite.
5. The Sun Also Rises. I think the book as a whole goes a long way towards establishing his theme (basically, that Ecclesiastes is spot on, at least for post Great War expats in Europe which is profound and interesting, if a little heartbreaking in light of the alternative interpretation you might have if you're reading either through the lens of the New Testament). But the reason I pick it up all the time is the little interlude where the main character and his buddy go fishing. I think that even if you have less patience than me for the Hemingway style, that section is just beautiful writing. It's so good.
Honorable Mention: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is worth a second, third, fourth read. Heck, you almost need a second read just to sort out what happened.
Again, not necessarily my all time favs or 5 I would put on a "everyone must read these" list. Probably not even the 5 ish I've read the most (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe might take that honor, or would be close). But 5 books I've read an awful lot.
Maybe I'll look at my list of what I finished in 2020 and try to find the "best" five from that list. Lonesome Dove would almost certainly be on it.
On the other hand, thanks to this darn Nintendo my kids got for Christmas, and this Zelda game, I may never finish a book again.
i didn't have the patience for that book, but i loved that other fishing story he wrote (old man and the sea). i'm not going to try to slog through the whole book to find the fishing interlude -- what chapter is it in?Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
No particular order:
1. Dune
2. Lonesome Dove
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
4. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
5. The Martian
I've never been a huge reader. Only really seriously picked it up the last few years, so have lots to read, still. Those five are ones I enjoy for various reasons and go back to read every so often.
Thanks, sorry if this insults you, but inudesu’s list was intimidating and your list probably fits me betterQuote:
Originally Posted by JuBru
my 10 every man should read -- 1st draft for consideration/discussion among the committee (in no particular order):
1) mere christianity (even if you're not a christian)
2) huckleberry finn (or just about any mark twain)
3) lord of the rings (a single novel in 6 books, three volumes)
4) hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (a trilogy in 5 novels)
5) moby dick
6) crime and punishment (or the brothers karamazov)
7) asimov's foundation novels (or any sufficiently long collection of his short stories)
8) animal farm (or 1984, but you really don't have to torture yourself by finishing it -- all the meat is in the first 1/3)
9) brodkey and hershey's transport phenomena: a unified approach (only mostly kidding)
9 for real) alice in wonderland and through the looking glass (can't read one and not the other)
10) c.s. lewis's fiction -- all of it (i know i'm cheating here, but lewis is just so good)
okay, this is really hard to get down to just 10, but i'll leave it here for now (i'll probably come up with 10 more for consideration...)
the next few:
1) lord of the flies
2) harry potter series (you can probably buy it all in a single volume)
3) sherlock holmes -- entire collection (the one i read was in a single volume electronically)
4) tale of two cities
5) three musketeers
6) ender's game
Middle of chapter 12. But you should give the whole thing another chance. It's a lot shorter than For Whom the Bell Tolls (which is also good).Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
dude, the beginning of that book was pure torture. like watching breakfast at tiffany's with french voice-overs and a blindfold. i don't hate myself enough to try that again.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
i want to replace #7 with i, robot. if you are only going to read one thing by asimov, that needs to be it.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
Quote:
Originally Posted by JuBru
Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
I thought I was being very accessible! All of my list are easier reads than Dune I bet. And shorter than Lonesome Dove.
I haven't read Dune or the Stig Larrson, but the rest of JuBru's list all gets a hearty approval from me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
I mean, I think there is supposed to be some subtext going on even in that section, but I just think parts of it are amazingly descriptive writing.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
Hemmingway may be an acquired taste. I have a lot more patience for him than most other modernist writers. I need some punctuation sometimes. And even he can get on my nerves with that stuff.
Why did the chicken cross the road?Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Hemmingway: To die. Alone. In the rain.
That's an awesome list. I might replace a couple with stuff like "Tess of the D'ubervilles" by Thomas Hardy and "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Heinlein, but I have read and enjoyed most on your list except Brodkey... and your Dostoevsky stuff (I did try The Idiot and grew bored). I might put Billy Budd in the place of Moby Dick as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
Joining the list making. Most of these are more fun reads than deep (at least after the first two)
1) Dune -- my top as well. Just great story-telling
2) Lord of the Rings
3) Steven Lawhead's Arthur trilogy (very interesting retelling of the legend, he gets lost in the sequels after these three, but these are good)
4) Don Quixote, USA -- hilarious book about a peace corps worker who accidentally becomes a guerilla leader
5) The Buck Passes Flynn -- Gregory MacDonald at his best. Not the strongest ending but a great read (the Flynn books and most of the Fletch books are really good)
6) Heinlein's Moon Is a Harsh Mistress -- much better than his more famous stuff
7) Fred-n-Erma by Calvin Miller -- this is written as a play. It's a hilarious take on church life. You'll think he was watching your family get ready for church
8) The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Aged 37 3/4. -- possibly even better send up of evangelical church life
9) Need to pick something by Alistair MacLean but have a hard time deciding which -- maybe Puppet on a Chain, Golden Rendezvous, Bear Island or Where Eagles Dare
10) Steven R Donaldson's first Thomas Covenant trilogy
Dang, feel like I could keep going. Better stop
i must confess i have never read hardy or heinlein (except maybe a couple of hardy's short stories). i'll have to add them both to my list.Quote:
Originally Posted by DawgyNWindow
Our 10th grade English lit teacher had us read Hardy's "Return of the Native". The lead female character, Eustacia, was the firs time I found a girl in a novel (without any corresponding comic or movie) indescribably hot.Quote:
Originally Posted by DawgyNWindow
A few years later Catherine Zeta played her in a hallmark special -- which I found totally fitting.
I may be picked on for this, but I am reading The Godfather for the first time. Have never seen the movies, but I want to after reading.
You're in for quite a treat in both cases.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
The novel is great pulpy fun. The movies are Art.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DawgyNWindow
I read The Mayor of Casterbridge in high school and while there is something to say about its value, it's not really my jam. Coincidentally, a high school classmate starred in a fairly loose adaptation.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
The trailer oversells the movie in my opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hel8IuL2dE
I've also read Stranger in a Strange Land, and while it's also worth reading I didn't love it either.
The Idiot is really boring. It's not in the same class as Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
I would have lost my bet that Ray Bradbury would appear on this list somewhere in the top 15.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
I'm not sure I'd want to read someone's take on watching my family get ready for church. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by TechDawgMc
I read the original Fletch in 2020. Some of it was good, but the relationship with the underage drug addict (while it does somewhat drive the story) was a little too much to make him very sympathetic.
Fletch, especially, is not always a great person. Flynn is actually a bit of a saint. They come together in the book Confess Fletch (which is probably my favorite Fletch book) -- which is actually where he introduced Flynn before he started writing separate books.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
It was pretty funny in parts. Maybe I'll give him another chance with a Flynn book.Quote:
Originally Posted by TechDawgMc
7) farenheit 451 (there you go, austin)Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
8) slaughterhouse five
(these are still in no particular order, by the way)
i started to add the godfather, but then i decided no book should be on this list if the movie is better. as inudesu already pointed out, the movies are works of art (the first two, anyway).
....you watch the Hallmark channel?Quote:
Originally Posted by Champ967
There wasnt Hallmark channel back then. (Long ago ... in the 1990s)Quote:
Originally Posted by HogDawg
I remember we had the movie on a home VCR tape with a handwritten label. Which means mom probably recorded it off TV.
I dont know what channel(s) Hallmark movies used to air on. Maybe some our "too many bowl games" crowd would remember.
I just asked because D80 and I were chatting not long ago about how cheesy the Hallmark movies are. Especially the Christmas movies. Our wives seem to love 'em, but they are very, very predictable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Champ967
Of course, I'm happy to watch Catherine Zeta Jones in just about anything. ;)
Should add them to your reading list.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
We never read 1984 or Animal Farm in high school. Those are next for me.
As to a list, I don’t have many because most of what I have read is by Dan Brown, John Grisham, and David Baldacci. Great authors for sure, but I am trying to branch out.
What I have read that I really enjoyed...
To Kill a Mockingbird
Fahrenheit 451
Louis L’Amour Sackett Series
Leather Stocking Series from James Fenimore Cooper
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Call of the Wild
White Fang
jack london can really tell a story. i got physically cold reading to build a fire.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
This. I remember craving a rare hamburger after the first couple chapters of White Fang.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
Same.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
You gotta save that one for like July when you need it.
I like most of those (and love some) but with Cooper I only ever made it through Last of the Mohicans. Whew. One of the very few times I'd say the movie is better than the book. Not my favorite.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
1984 and Animal Farm are very much worth reading.
This sparks another question. Taking the thread another direction.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
What books have you attempted repeatedly and never made it through?
The Good Earth
The Grapes of Wrath
A Tale of Two Cities
Bob will say The Sun Also Rises. :angry:Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
The payoff on 2/3 of those you listed make them worth powering through to the end. The Good Earth is really good, but there isn't like a big resolution or anything like what you get in the other 2. If you didn't like the first part, it's not going to change much other than maybe if you get more invested in the characters.
I've been working on the copy of the Iliad on my bookshelf for years. Made some good progress this year, but there is just always something better to read near to hand.
I bet there are others on my shelf that I've picked up a dozen times and never actually make it through. I'll have to think about it.
Good Earth was another HS English assignment (11th grade, I think). Had to finish it, but it never felt like a chore.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
Grapes of Wrath, though, that was like chewing bubble gum that lost its flavor half an hour ago. .
Just seeing "Tale of Two Cities" always brings to mind the Python bookshop sketch.
I cheated and took the test for all three from multiple summaries. I’ll go a step further with The Grapes of Wrath. It’s like chewing a frozen piece of gum still in the wrapper.
that's dikkens with two k's, the well-known dutch authorQuote:
Originally Posted by Champ967
at the time i read it, i thought tale of two cities was the best book i had ever read. after some separation from the immediate effect of the book, i would still put it in my top 3 for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
as for my list, i only tried the sun also rises once, thank you very much. but my list would include
don quixote
five past midnight in bhopal
the republic
this reminds me of my freshman literature class, in which i wrote an essay on An American Tragedy based solely on classroom discussion and managed a B.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
So I finally finished A Distant Mirror (no thanks to that sneaky Nintendo the kids got for Christmas) and it was really good. Highly recommend (if you like history, if not - maybe nope).
The author won a Pulitzer for a different book about the beginning of WWI which apparently helped us all avoid disaster during the Cuban Missile Crises (the book is about how leaders sort of blundered into WWI and Kennedy was influenced to the point of trying to be careful not to escalate things into an unwanted war by making the same poor decisions that led to WWI). It looks interesting, might try to pick it up if our library has it (once I've cleared the backlog that built up while I tried to wrap this one up).
Currently working on a kids Fantasy book about dragons that my middle kid is super into and almost done with the Planet Hulk graphic novel (or the graphic novel collected version) that Thor Ragnarok was partly based on. Up next a (thankfully much shorter) novel by the author of Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell called Piranesi. Supposed to be good, we'll see.
Just finished Ken Follett's Column of Fire. It's book three of the Kingsbridge series that started with Pillars of the Earth. Basically, Follett takes a century and tells a story around a local city (Kingsbridge) while interacting with what was going on in history. Pillars relates to the events around the sinking of the White Ship and the death of Henry I's only son. World Without End is set around the Wars of the Roses. Column of Fire deals with Elizabethan England and the struggles between Protestants and Catholics.
I read Pillars 10 years ago when I was in England and loved it. Really good book. Just found Column of Fire this fall. Finally got to reading it this month. It's almost as good as Pillars of the Earth. It's a bit more interested in the historical story than in local events than the other two. The key hero of the story is a guy who ends up working for Elizabeth -- the story focuses more around his adventures than around local events. Still, when he sets his mind to it, Follett is a great story teller.
I will say that as he's gotten older, he seems to be getting more interested in sex. He's not graphic, but at times he's a bit juvenile in his interests (kind of like Heinlein was)
I've heard good things about Pillars. Considered picking it up several times.Quote:
Originally Posted by TechDawgMc
Piranesi was very good. Highly recommend. It's short, almost a novella, especially when compared to Jonathan Strange. Go look for it, it's worth it.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Planet Hulk also pretty good. Fun.
The middle-grade book is fine. I'm not really the target audience here, but I see why he likes it.
Lots of genre stuff on the bedside stack. I'll mix in a little non-fiction I think (gotta eat your veggies) but I'm looking forward to a lot of plot-driven SF/F/Spy/Mystery for a spell.
ok i have a couple of audible credits that i need to use before i cancel. any recommendations?
going to use one of my credits for this (can't go wrong with "bobiverse")Quote:
Originally Posted by TechDawgMc
but i have two more, and i'm not going to go for the sequels until i know i like the first.
I'd read the first one then decide if you want to go another way. I just finished the Starfisher's Trilogy by Glen Cook. An odd one. I really liked the first book. Thought it was excellent and it might actually stand on its own if you just choose to let it. The other two books I thought were much weaker, especially book 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
I liked Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. That had some interesting twists on a more or less hard SF story. There's a sequel, but it's not a necessary one and it's only partially connected anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
Quote:
Originally Posted by JuBru
Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
:(Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
RIP Larry McMurtry
At the moment I'm reading a Discworld City-Watch book called Snuff. It's quite good. Before that I re-read Kim (always amazing) and a book of short stories by Ursula K. Le Guin (so-so).
i love terry pratchett's stories, but his writing is not very polished. still fun to read.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Just revisited Good Omens this week...one of my favorites (if you don’t take it too seriously).Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
does anyone take terry pratchett seriously?Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.the...erry-pratchettQuote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
I was late finally getting to him, but I've liked the city-watch books I've read. Really fun tone.Quote:
Originally Posted by arkansasbob
Listened to a few things lately -- some of them from recommendations here. Liked The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Kind of odd story, but entertaining. Loved The Lies of Loch Lamora. That's a well done book.
Tried one I hadn't heard of before. It looked interesting at B&N. It was called A Big Ship at the End of the Universe. It's book one of three. I will not be reading the others. The two lead characters are both extremely annoying for most of the book (whiny, petulant, totally self-absorbed). They do seem to get a miraculous makeover toward the end. The book is an odd mix of magic and SF. To me, it just points out why I don't like magic stories for the most part--it's too easy to just fix any problem that's been set up. Either the great new magic fixes it or some other thing miraculously makes the great new magic not work. The book also has a lot of "why the heck would you do that?" moments. Overall just not very good IMHO.
Started a book by Shusaku Endo, but I think I'm going to return it to the library for another day. I like his work, I own two of his books and I read another that I think I prefer to those even, but this one starts off just too sad for me to put up with right now. I'm sure the loss sets up the rest of the story, but I'm not waiting around. Maybe another day.
The books I own by him are pretty interesting, one is Silence, which was made into a movie fairly recently by Martin Scorsese and the other is called The Samurai and is about a 17th century diplomatic mission from Japan to Mexico and Europe.
Recently finished an interesting fantasy/horror story that imagines the Klan as literal otherworldly demons called Ring Shout. I thought it was pretty good.
Finally working on Authority to wrap up that Southern Reach triology, and I have a historical fiction thing from the point of view of St. Augustine's ex on deck.
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/f9b...2&odnBg=ffffff
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
by S. C. Gwynne
Thanks I’ve been looking for something on this. I’ve always been fascinated by the stories surrounding Quanna Parker. I’m now listening to a series about the early days of the Texas Rangers who played a major role in ridding Texas of the ComancheQuote:
Originally Posted by ITdrummer
One of my good friends told me about this one, but had forgotten about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by ITdrummer
It's a fantastic book.Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
This weekend I grabbed some books off the shelf that have bookmarks somewhere in the middle. Some of those bookmarks have been in there for a really long time. We'll see if we can knock a couple out and add them to the "completed" list.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
Best of luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Based on recommendation here, I read Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane. That's a very good book. Thought it was a creative direction and liked the perspective he told the story from. Also finally decided to try Terry Pratchet. Listened to Unseen Academicals. He is pretty funny at times, and the story was good if a bit narrow in scope (it's basically about a soccer game, though that's a gross oversimplification).
Also read The Humans by Matt Haig. SF comedy about an Oxford mathematician who makes a major breakthrough that's years ahead of schedule (at least, based on other civilizations). The other civilizations send an assassin to eliminate him and squelch the breakthrough because they don't think humans are ready. However, the assassin finds humanity attractive and has a hard time completing his mission. Some nice twists.
One thing I notice about a lot of Brit SF/Fantasy authors though. They often seem like they are trying to channel Douglas Adams.
On a history note, I'm about done with The Quartet by Joseph Ellis. It's basically about the development of the Constitution -- especially the role that Washington, Jay, Madison and Hamilton played in bringing it about. Not groundbreaking but interesting.
In case you're wondering about the pace, about 2000 miles in a car in the last couple of weeks.
To be completely honest, I hadn't ever heard of Quannah Parker before. I found this book super interesting and educating.Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
I'm trying to bounce back and forth between fiction and non-fiction. I'm moving onto some fantasy.
Brandon Sanderson - Elantris
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1S+HqepWwL.jpg
All my family is from Texas. Two of my Great Grand Parents were from Mexia/Limestone County. We visited family there when I was growing up and went to Ft Parker.Quote:
Originally Posted by ITdrummer
I heard Joe Rogan mention the book on his podcast a while back and he actually did an episode with the author.Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
Kinda along the same vein, he recently recommended this book that I think I will try for my next non-fiction:
A Land So Strange by Andrés Reséndez
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg
I heard him say that. It is a hot book right now.Quote:
Originally Posted by ITdrummer
Confessions of X was fine. Didn't change my world or anything, just fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Working hard on that Iliad. Read the first (really short) chapter of Anna Karenina. Haven't yet re-opened The Storm Tossed Family (but it's on the bedside table).Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
I did order the sequel to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (which I love) but I haven't started it yet. And I read a novella called The Angel Knew Papa and the Dog which I liked. And 2 (very different) graphic novels I recommend very much (one a recommendation from the daughter, the other I ordered for the older of my boys who loved it). When Stars are Scattered (the former) is an account of life in a refugee camp for a young Somali boy. The very much lighter tone of The Dragon Lord saga is blurbed as Lord of the Rings meets Calvin and Hobbes (which is about as on the nose as you could get for my middle kid's tastes) and was pretty good. I just wish it resolved a whole story within the collection. If you're going to package a graphic novel, you can have a cliff-hanger, but I'd like a beginning, middle, and end as well please.
I guess while I'm linking to the Rabbit Room website, I'll recommend something I should have mentioned before Mother's Day (I gave it to my Mom a year ago and she loved it).
Every Moment Holy is a book of prayers for everyday kinds of things. A Liturgy for the Ritual of Morning Coffee. A Liturgy for the Preparation of a Meal. A Liturgy Before Beginning a Book. That kind of thing. The prayers (and art) are really well done. Makes a great gift (sorry for not posting a month ago). But you know, a lot of Dads would like it too.
Finished that sucker this week! I've only mentioned it a dozen times in this thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by inudesu
Reading a collection of Gene Wolfe short stories. Very good so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Dawg
Still trying to strike a balance between the books already on the shelf that need to be read and all the bright shiny books in my library wish list.
Just read two history stories. Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn is about the American army fighting in N. Africa. Interesting story that I wasn't all that aware of (other than playing Allied General). Only problem for me was that it seemed deep in the details. That might appeal to some, but I'm not that big of a military details nut. The book is actually the first in a series of three. I haven't made up my mind if I'm going to read the other two.
The book I liked better was Band of Brothers. I found that a bit surprising since I'd watched the HBO series and knew a lot of what happened. Still, Ambrose is a good story-teller. He seems to get the level of detail about right, imo. Even if you've watched the series, I would tend to recommend this one. Probably going to try at least some of the rest of his stuff.
The VRBO we’re in has a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. Haven’t been able to put it down…shamefully realizing I didn’t actually read it when it was assigned in High School.
I pretty much only read non-fiction history. Not to say I won't again pick up a novel, but right now with limited time for reading I focus on my favorite genre. After completing the mammoth 1,500-page volumes on Napoleon I needed a bit of a rest, so am just reading articles in Military Heritage Magazine right now. Just finished an interesting article on the Marines in WWI. After Belleau Wood they took a ridge from the Germans the French had tried for 3 years to capture. Good stuff!
Cliff's Notes saved my entire educational career. :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
I think we read that in 8th grade. Need to read it again.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
I finished Elantris by Sanderson and loved it. I'm moving onto the Mistborn series.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg
Brandon Sanderson - The Well of Ascension
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Sanderson.jpg
I finished reading Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers a couple of months ago. I haven't started Return of the King, though. Finding it difficult to "want" to read it instead of doing it to just complete the series. There's too much fluff and nonsense in the first two books that I don't understand why the series would be so popular, even with the world-building (which I usually enjoy). They aren't bad, but they definitely don't live up to the hype to me.
I decided to listen to Dance with Dragons (book five of the Game of Thrones series). It's been more than 10 years since I read it and supposedly there's a new book coming by next year -- ha. Anyway, I'm struck by a couple of things. I remember thinking that the book was not as good as the first three books. Now, I'm even more convinced of that. It seems like a clear case of someone who got popular, developed a lot of power with the publisher, and stopped listening to his editor. I'm pretty sure you could cut about 200 pages without losing anything of the story at all.
I've tended to blame the showrunners for the poor ending of Game of Thrones, but maybe they really just didn't get any help from Martin. He's so lost in his characters that I don't think he really has a clear story to tell anymore.
Pity, because it started well. Of course, the other side is that I've given up hope of ever seeing book seven. The dude is 72. He's going to be a bit long in the tooth finishing a book that takes 10-12 years to write.
I dont disagree with any of that. But on the whole, I still enjoyed Dance.
The audiobook, on the other hand, is substantially less well performed than books 1-4. Dude manages to make Dany sound like a old man.