I've started reading The Medusa Chronicles, which is Stephen Baxter's sequel to Clarke's "A Meeting With Medusa."
What are you reading?
- Thread starter Snowlilly
- Start date
I'm atm reading a classic: Three Men in a Boat.
At school we read an abbreviated version but this time I got hold of the full text and am enjoying it tremedously. Particularly the scene where Montmorency declares war on the tea kettle - it reminds me a good deal of our last dog who used to bark at dad's coffeemaker so that dad was forced to switch to Earl Grey tea
At school we read an abbreviated version but this time I got hold of the full text and am enjoying it tremedously. Particularly the scene where Montmorency declares war on the tea kettle - it reminds me a good deal of our last dog who used to bark at dad's coffeemaker so that dad was forced to switch to Earl Grey tea
Since my last post in this thread I've...
Put Delany back on the shelf for a while.
Read Greg Bears The Wind From a Burning Woman.
I do so like his shorter stories...
Finished John Haldemans The Forever War (aparently I had had it opened before, but not read a lot of pages).
Not really sure what to make of it... I read it all between yesterday and today though, so I must've liked reading it.
Begun reading Stanislaw Lems The Cyberiad. Less hard SciFi and more funny in that peculiar Lem way, where, for instance, the realms of Eenica, Meenia and Mynamoaca (in the translation into English) are always mentioned together and in that order .
Picked up and almost finished Gary Regans The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, with Recipes & Lore - well, it is a most delicious cocktail...
Contemplated re-reading Three Men in a Boat (but that's just because it was mentioned right here
).
Oh, and apparently I've finished my Asimov as well.
Put Delany back on the shelf for a while.
Read Greg Bears The Wind From a Burning Woman.
I do so like his shorter stories...
Finished John Haldemans The Forever War (aparently I had had it opened before, but not read a lot of pages).
Not really sure what to make of it... I read it all between yesterday and today though, so I must've liked reading it.
Begun reading Stanislaw Lems The Cyberiad. Less hard SciFi and more funny in that peculiar Lem way, where, for instance, the realms of Eenica, Meenia and Mynamoaca (in the translation into English) are always mentioned together and in that order .
Picked up and almost finished Gary Regans The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, with Recipes & Lore - well, it is a most delicious cocktail...
Contemplated re-reading Three Men in a Boat (but that's just because it was mentioned right here
).Oh, and apparently I've finished my Asimov as well.
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Finished Influx by Daniel Suarez. Crighton-like Sci-fi that would make for a fun hollywood blockbuster. In fact, it read exactly like something imagined for the big screen.
I'm reading this book right now, good stuff!
So Anyway... by John Cleese. This autobiography had been lurking at the back of my Kindle library for many months, but I'm finding it erudite, funny and lucid. Feels Pratchettesque, though no doubt Pratchett's style owes more to Cleese's than vice versa.
Just finished Chris Bohjalian's novel, The Guest Room. It's about human trafficking -- a very painful but excellent read.
I am far behind on my reading because of working so many hours, having to deal with my ankle injury (and not doing much but laying in bed in pain), and just being distracted by other forms of entertainment (NBA League Pass, Spotify Premium, my DVD and Blu-Ray collection, keeping up on the news, and playing on Facebook and message boards).
This is not an attempt to cry "Look at me, this is what I reading!" It's a chance to hold myself accountable for the books I have bought, and reserved from the library, and setting a goal to get them all read by the end of January, 2017. Milestones of a year at my job, turning 33, the Presidential Inauguration, the NBA season (where the Pistons should do well), and the first season of Star Trek: Discovery will all be here by the end of January, so it's important to stay focused.
So far, I have been reading the same two books all summer, not 20 pages into either of them. That's how little I have been doing in terms of reading. Meanwhile, I have a playlist on Spotify that reflects the music I have listened to, this year. I have a Facebook page filled with my thoughts and goals for the coming years. All of that is important, don't get me wrong. But, the purest form of learning, is still found in a book. That is why it's important to me. Anyway, so here are the books I wish to get through in the next 23 weeks, or so:
1. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
2. "The Silk Roads: A New History of the World" by Peter Frankopan.
3. "Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?" by Frans De Waal.
4. "The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade" by Susan Wise Bauer.
5. "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger.
6. "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert
7. "The Meaning of Human Existence" by Edward O. Wilson.
8. "Down to Earth: Nature's Role in American History" by Theodore Steinberg.
9. "The Moral Arc : How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom" by Michael Shermer.
10. "Life for Me Ain't Be No Crystal Stair" by Susan Sheehan.
I have plenty more to read, but I figure two books a month, is fine with me. I don't have a lot of time on my hands, and I need to use it more productively. I need to still work in a vacation this coming December, Pistons games I will want to watch, going to plays, Meditation to keep myself centered, cleaning tasks to do to take care of all that I have right now, and, of course, work, where I cannot read. I don't get breaks, unless a cigarette is in my hands. So, here goes nothing. I will keep everyone updated on the progress.
This is not an attempt to cry "Look at me, this is what I reading!" It's a chance to hold myself accountable for the books I have bought, and reserved from the library, and setting a goal to get them all read by the end of January, 2017. Milestones of a year at my job, turning 33, the Presidential Inauguration, the NBA season (where the Pistons should do well), and the first season of Star Trek: Discovery will all be here by the end of January, so it's important to stay focused.
So far, I have been reading the same two books all summer, not 20 pages into either of them. That's how little I have been doing in terms of reading. Meanwhile, I have a playlist on Spotify that reflects the music I have listened to, this year. I have a Facebook page filled with my thoughts and goals for the coming years. All of that is important, don't get me wrong. But, the purest form of learning, is still found in a book. That is why it's important to me. Anyway, so here are the books I wish to get through in the next 23 weeks, or so:
1. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
2. "The Silk Roads: A New History of the World" by Peter Frankopan.
3. "Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?" by Frans De Waal.
4. "The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade" by Susan Wise Bauer.
5. "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger.
6. "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert
7. "The Meaning of Human Existence" by Edward O. Wilson.
8. "Down to Earth: Nature's Role in American History" by Theodore Steinberg.
9. "The Moral Arc : How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom" by Michael Shermer.
10. "Life for Me Ain't Be No Crystal Stair" by Susan Sheehan.
I have plenty more to read, but I figure two books a month, is fine with me. I don't have a lot of time on my hands, and I need to use it more productively. I need to still work in a vacation this coming December, Pistons games I will want to watch, going to plays, Meditation to keep myself centered, cleaning tasks to do to take care of all that I have right now, and, of course, work, where I cannot read. I don't get breaks, unless a cigarette is in my hands. So, here goes nothing. I will keep everyone updated on the progress.
Peter Bailys Accidental Death.
Kind of a short story or 'novelette', or whatever it's called, sorta humorous and rather old-school Sci-Fi. -Have no idea where or why I picked it up, but I did enjoy reading it.
John Prestons Mr. Benson.
Read most of it ages ago, when it was first printed in Drummer Magazine, the 'drama' is still readable, the 'porn' is still good and the 'mystery' still sucks...
Samuel R. Delany & Mia Wolffs Bread & Wine.
Although called 'an erotic tale' on the cover, it is actually just a love story, but a love story in a medium I just had to find out if Delany could write for...
He can.
Kind of a short story or 'novelette', or whatever it's called, sorta humorous and rather old-school Sci-Fi. -Have no idea where or why I picked it up, but I did enjoy reading it.
normb on manybooks said:
John Prestons Mr. Benson.
Read most of it ages ago, when it was first printed in Drummer Magazine, the 'drama' is still readable, the 'porn' is still good and the 'mystery' still sucks...
Kassa on Goodreads said:
Samuel R. Delany & Mia Wolffs Bread & Wine.
Although called 'an erotic tale' on the cover, it is actually just a love story, but a love story in a medium I just had to find out if Delany could write for...
He can.
Gabriel on goodreads said:
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"Who's Body" by Dorothy Sayers. Very thrilling =) Imagine you get up one morning to find a complete stranger dead in your bathtub clad in nothing but a gold pince-nez which causes the local inspector to promptly arrest yourself and your whole household. Fortunately, in this case Lord Peter Whimsey and his trusted servant Bunter are at hand to reveal a tragic story of unrequited love, hatred and an ingenious way of hiding a second body in plain sight.
After reading this I had to check out the book.
After checking out the book I found that I had to read it.
After beginning to read it I find it impossible not to hear his voice saying the words I read.
That's annoying.
ETA:
Just a little something at the end of a paragraph:
John Cleese said:
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Currently in the middle of One Second After by William R. Forstchen. Man, if there ever really IS an EMP attack, we're screwed. Maybe not as screwed as in the book, but pretty screwed. Lotta people gon' die.
And onto book 5 of the Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen
Midnight Tides - As I recall them, this was my second favourite book of the series, so I'm looking forward to the re-read
Hugo - Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context
Midnight Tides - As I recall them, this was my second favourite book of the series, so I'm looking forward to the re-read
Hugo - Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context
Finished The English Spy by Daniel Silva. Was very good. And I was impressed to hear afterwards how much truth and parallels were in his story. This is a man who knows his material. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
Just started Free Days with George by Colin Campbell, the story of a man who bonded with his rescued Newfoundland dog.
Just started Free Days with George by Colin Campbell, the story of a man who bonded with his rescued Newfoundland dog.
https://www.amazon.com/Bully-Pulpit-Theodore-Roosevelt-Journalism/dp/141654786X
I have read more than a few TDR biographies, so I wasn't at first all that interested in this one, but I am enjoying the blend of a mini-Taft bio, a mini-TDR bio, and the history of McClure's magazine and its stable of writers.
I have read more than a few TDR biographies, so I wasn't at first all that interested in this one, but I am enjoying the blend of a mini-Taft bio, a mini-TDR bio, and the history of McClure's magazine and its stable of writers.
The Medusa Chronicles was a decent read, if not overwhelming. At first I was disappointed that it was not very Clarkean, despite being a sequel to his last novella-- then in the last third it turned into a virtual rewrite of the Odyssey series. The biggest problem is that the main character retained his clunky cyborg form, balloon tires and all, throughout the centuries of the storyline, with no explanation. Technology would have easily allowed him either a more advanced cyborg body or biological replacement parts early on, so that was kind of a barrier to taking it very seriously.
I felt as a newbie here, I should add my two-pence on this thread. I read all the time. I don't go anywhere without a book in my bag or hand, and if I can't have a physical book, thanks to technology, my phone or tablet does. I've just finished reading 'another' Stephen King book (I'm addicted), and started re-reading "I am Spock". As most here don't know me, Leonard Nimoy was, and still is, one of my life-long idols, and his books are always a good comfort read. Are there any other Stephen King fans among us?
