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What are you reading? (November 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Decided to stick with a single author this month, read the following by Michael Connelly
The Black Echo
The Black Ice
The Concrete Blonde
The Last Coyote
The Poet
Trunk Music
Blood Work
Angels Flight
Void Moon
A Darkness More Than Night
City of Bones
Chasing the Dime
Lost Light
The Narrows
The Closers
The Lincoln Lawyer
Echo Park
The Overlook
The Brass Verdict
Some good books in that bunch, only thing I think I would like to have seen
The Black Echo
The Black Ice
The Concrete Blonde
The Last Coyote
The Poet
Trunk Music
Blood Work
Angels Flight
Void Moon
A Darkness More Than Night
City of Bones
Chasing the Dime
Lost Light
The Narrows
The Closers
The Lincoln Lawyer
Echo Park
The Overlook
The Brass Verdict
Some good books in that bunch, only thing I think I would like to have seen
would have been a few more books featuring Terry McCaleb.
sparky2112
Member
I assume you've read the first? Good?
AngmarsKing701
Member
Just added all of those who posted goodreads profiles as friends. Or requested to be added as a friend, or however that works.
Here's mine for anyone interested: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8027554.Brian_J_Lang
Here's mine for anyone interested: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8027554.Brian_J_Lang
Finished Christie Sparkling Cyanide. It's her first novel of her without Poirot or Marple I read.
I actually liked the premises, 5 people, 5 motives and then she goes into the real story, too bad
Now I can finally start Curtain: Poirot's Last Case. I always wanted to read it, but I could never find it. Recently got a Poirot's collection that has it.
I actually liked the premises, 5 people, 5 motives and then she goes into the real story, too bad
the why is just very, very weak. Money and the murderous duo was not even married! Also the how becomes implausible in the long run, no one noticed later they were sitting in different places?
Now I can finally start Curtain: Poirot's Last Case. I always wanted to read it, but I could never find it. Recently got a Poirot's collection that has it.
PeskyToaster
Member
I'm about done with this Lawrence in Arabia audiobook:
so I've been itching to get back into reading a real book (it takes a while to finish audiobooks). I wanted to cover a blindspot in my historical knowledge and what went on back then has always been relevant but seems even more so now. Even ISIS has stated one of their goals is the reversal of the Sykes-Picot agreement. After I finish the audio book I'm tackling the latest from historian Ian Kershaw, most famous for his biography on Hitler.
Should be a good one. Kershaw is a great historian. He's also been the historical advisor on some fantastic documentaries.
so I've been itching to get back into reading a real book (it takes a while to finish audiobooks). I wanted to cover a blindspot in my historical knowledge and what went on back then has always been relevant but seems even more so now. Even ISIS has stated one of their goals is the reversal of the Sykes-Picot agreement. After I finish the audio book I'm tackling the latest from historian Ian Kershaw, most famous for his biography on Hitler.
Should be a good one. Kershaw is a great historian. He's also been the historical advisor on some fantastic documentaries.
There's a bunch of great stuff for sale on Amazon kindle in science-fiction/fantasy. So much that I'm not going to catalogue it all, but some highlights are:
The Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series by Fritz Leiber, some of the coolest sword and sorcery around, on sale for $2 a book. Super deal.
Forge of God by Greg Bear $2.
Blood Music by Greg Bear $2.
Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling $2.
Xenogenesis series by Octavia Butler at $2 a book.
Futureland by Walter Mosley $2. (Walter Mosley is better known as the creator of Easy Rawlins from Devil in the Blue Dress, but his science fiction is superb)
City of Truth by James Morrow $2.
I'd buy all of these if I didn't already have them. That deal on the Leiber is fantastic. I paid full price for my copies of the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stuff. You can't really go wrong with any of the stuff listed above.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n:6151507011,n:668010011
The Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series by Fritz Leiber, some of the coolest sword and sorcery around, on sale for $2 a book. Super deal.
Forge of God by Greg Bear $2.
Blood Music by Greg Bear $2.
Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling $2.
Xenogenesis series by Octavia Butler at $2 a book.
Futureland by Walter Mosley $2. (Walter Mosley is better known as the creator of Easy Rawlins from Devil in the Blue Dress, but his science fiction is superb)
City of Truth by James Morrow $2.
I'd buy all of these if I didn't already have them. That deal on the Leiber is fantastic. I paid full price for my copies of the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stuff. You can't really go wrong with any of the stuff listed above.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n:6151507011,n:668010011
Dandy Crocodile
Member
Yeah, there's some decent stuff in the Amazon sale.
Book Club-type books (all three of these have been selected by my local book club in the past year):
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - $1.99
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillipp Sendker - $1.99
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - $1.99
Fantasy that I remember liking when I read it in 5th grade and seems to be favorably reviewed:
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley - $1.99
Book Club-type books (all three of these have been selected by my local book club in the past year):
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - $1.99
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillipp Sendker - $1.99
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - $1.99
Fantasy that I remember liking when I read it in 5th grade and seems to be favorably reviewed:
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley - $1.99
PushingButtons
Member
Almost finished with Paul E. Cooley's The Black: Arrival
It's a paraquel to The Black. Fun horror book that's pretty easy to read.
It's a paraquel to The Black. Fun horror book that's pretty easy to read.
Finished Animal Farm, rated it three stars, read the appendices and immediately wanted to up the rating to four stars. Does anyone else find that reading additional material about the book can alter your perception of the book itself? It happened when I first read The Gunslinger - I enjoyed it without really getting into it, but when I read the introduction (which I'd skipped because I didn't want any spoilers) and read about how the characters of that series have been in his mind basically since he started writing it encouraged me to read it again and got me involved in how those books connect with some of his others.
Debating whether to start The Count of Monte Cristo or The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch next. I suspect one is significantly shorter than the other.
Debating whether to start The Count of Monte Cristo or The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch next. I suspect one is significantly shorter than the other.
First one was decent and I was biased in a way toward it as the author is Canadian. But I've learnt not to be biased to where a book comes from anymore. If it sucks, it sucks.
Maklershed
Member
Purchased!
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
Just wrapped up A Lonely Resurrection by Barry Eisler. Book 2 of the John Rain series.
The book is simpler and less dense than the first book, which I'd say is an improvement. The first book sets up John Rain, his antagonists, and a lot of twisty turnies that I found a little hard to swallow. I let it go because the action was good and the writing was up to the task. The second book feels more like an episode in an ongoing story, maybe not a necessary one, but a more engaging one at times. The action and writing quality are still pretty great - Eisler walks the fine line between fast-paced thriller and descriptive prose very well. My only complaint is that
the series antagonist is mentioned often but never appears.
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The Amazon Cyber Monday sale: I got Inverted World, Range of Ghosts, and The Glass Bead Game for about $15. Nice to get a few assorted goodies off the wish list and into my hands.
I'm reading Love and Sleep by John Crowley (my fav fo-evs) and I might give a gander to Childhood's End before that SyFy special drops.
If you've never read them, I welcome you to a dark, terrifying, and fascinating world all its own. No one else, I think, has ever so effectively created such an interesting world, and such interesting protagonists to steal from its citizens and kill its dark gods. From the filthy streets of Lankmahr, to the terrifying caves on Ningauble the Seven Eyed, our duo travels the globe, murdering, thieving, and getting in terrible trouble. It's a blast.
Ok, fine. You realize you're making me buy something with "Fafhrd" in the title? How do you think that makes me feel?
Err... Hurley is American. Born in Washington, currently living somewhere in Ohio.
Though that doesn't change the fact that The Mirror Empire is quite good!
nailbombxx
Member
I have a very nice "Borealis Legends" hardcover reissue of the first two Fafhrd and Grey Mouser books entitled Ill Met in Lankhmar, cover art and interior illustrated by Mike Mignola. The illustrations themselves are beautiful and very fitting the aesthetics of the series, it looks a bit like this.
These versions seem the most desirable to me, but I gave up on having a "complete set" of said reissues when I found out that the later books are stupidly overpriced. Ebook purchase justified.
Read Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass
I've read all his books because they're generally fun, quick, throwaway reads. This one only qualifies for throwaway.
I won't be returning to this series as this was one step short of terrible. A character that was nothing more than awful cat memes, tedious info dumps, battle scenes that were fun when they were short, but grew utterly tedious as they lengthened. So many things to dislike.
I've read all his books because they're generally fun, quick, throwaway reads. This one only qualifies for throwaway.
I won't be returning to this series as this was one step short of terrible. A character that was nothing more than awful cat memes, tedious info dumps, battle scenes that were fun when they were short, but grew utterly tedious as they lengthened. So many things to dislike.
It'll make you feel like a burly man, once you get to know him.
Those covers are gorgeous. Mignola is a big Lankmahr fan and did the graphic novel with Howard Chaykin, too. I actually own a full set of the paperbacks, but it's nice to have them in ebook form.
I know exactly how you feel. My enjoyment of the Brothers Karamazov was tremendously enhanced by outside material focusing on the book. Made me realize how genius it is.
Sorry sorry my bad, thought he was asking about Get Katja by Simon Logan. The Mirror Empire is an amazing book and I follow Hurley on Goodreads as I enjoy her insights. So far the sequel is just as good!
Maklershed
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