At the moment The Kennedy's and Hostages to Fortune, an account of the Tory's who fled the Colonies during the American Revolution and become the founding fathers of what is now Canada.
What are you reading?
- Thread starter Snowlilly
- Start date
Finished The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter. Felt it was a great sequel to the original Time Machine by H.G Wells. Baxter managed to really capture the author's voice and feels just like he would have written it himself and didn't feel out of place at any time. Did go into quite a bit more scientific detail though.
Just starting The 14th Colony by Steve Berry.
Just starting The 14th Colony by Steve Berry.
Just finished The Fountainhead, and am contemplating following it up with The Jungle by Upton Sinclair just to confuse anyone who looks at my list o' books read.
This morning I finished listening to Masters of Doom, an audiobook read by Wil Wheaton about the rise of id software, and its impact on the gaming industry. Something of a nostalgia trip...
This morning I finished listening to Masters of Doom, an audiobook read by Wil Wheaton about the rise of id software, and its impact on the gaming industry. Something of a nostalgia trip...
I finished Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology a few days ago. He does a really good job of telling the norse myths in an interesting way. Its interesting to hear some of the actual Norse myths since I mostly just know the Marvel Comics version of Thor/Asgard/etc. I think that is still my favorite version, but the real world stories, as told by Gaiman, are very entertaining.
Star Trek Seekers - Long shot by David Mack
I've started on Science In The Soul, a retrospective collection of essays and other works by Richard Dawkins with recent footnotes/commentary.
Before that, Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. I don't recall having read anything by her before, but this makes me want to complete the series and to read others by the same author.
Before that, I finished The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Written in the 1860s, this is considered a seminal detective novel, though it takes place squarely in the world and environs of the idle rich. It feels quite long-winded in places (viewed through the lens of familiarity with the tropes of the then-nascent mystery/thriller/detective genre, which probably allows modern readers to be way ahead of their forebears). However, it's on the whole both erudite and amusing. The author seems to derive pleasure from occasionally winking at the readership by having one or two of his narrators unwittingly expose their prejudices. A really good eye for characterisation, too. Altogether a highly rewarding read that probably deserves its reputation.
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie is a trilogy-closer that for the most part provides more of the same. The Imperial Radch trilogy I would recommend to people who liked Ursula LeGuin's The Left Hand Of Darkness.
Before that, The Psychopath Test by journalist Jon Ronson, who interviewed medical professionals and certain well-known empathy-deficient individuals. There are some fascinating case studies and anecdotes.
And before that, David Fitzgerald's Jesus: Mything In Action, a compelling and extensive read about the origins and development of early mainstream Christianity and of its core narratives. For the reasonably casual reader this may well be the definitive work on the subject, though the author (who presents himself as kind of a reporter from the front line of the mythicise dialogue rather than an academic) makes frequent reference to the work of his scholarly friend Dr Richard Carrier amongst others.
Before that, Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. I don't recall having read anything by her before, but this makes me want to complete the series and to read others by the same author.
Before that, I finished The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Written in the 1860s, this is considered a seminal detective novel, though it takes place squarely in the world and environs of the idle rich. It feels quite long-winded in places (viewed through the lens of familiarity with the tropes of the then-nascent mystery/thriller/detective genre, which probably allows modern readers to be way ahead of their forebears). However, it's on the whole both erudite and amusing. The author seems to derive pleasure from occasionally winking at the readership by having one or two of his narrators unwittingly expose their prejudices. A really good eye for characterisation, too. Altogether a highly rewarding read that probably deserves its reputation.
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie is a trilogy-closer that for the most part provides more of the same. The Imperial Radch trilogy I would recommend to people who liked Ursula LeGuin's The Left Hand Of Darkness.
Before that, The Psychopath Test by journalist Jon Ronson, who interviewed medical professionals and certain well-known empathy-deficient individuals. There are some fascinating case studies and anecdotes.
And before that, David Fitzgerald's Jesus: Mything In Action, a compelling and extensive read about the origins and development of early mainstream Christianity and of its core narratives. For the reasonably casual reader this may well be the definitive work on the subject, though the author (who presents himself as kind of a reporter from the front line of the mythicise dialogue rather than an academic) makes frequent reference to the work of his scholarly friend Dr Richard Carrier amongst others.
Last edited:
6th Extension by James Rollins.
The 14th Colony was... well, I liked the concept itself, but the writing could have been better. Kind of average. This James Rollins book though, while a similar type, is written much better with characters written more believably.
The 14th Colony was... well, I liked the concept itself, but the writing could have been better. Kind of average. This James Rollins book though, while a similar type, is written much better with characters written more believably.
India: A New History, Stanley Wolpert
Just finished Consent of the Networked, about government and corporate threats to a free and open internet.
The Silmarillion and Mage: The Hero Discovered
My paper read is The Five Wonders of the Danube by Zoran Zivkovic. It is a collection of five stories each one set on a different bridge that span the Danube.
ZIvkovic is one of my favourite authors and this is the 10th book of his I have read. I have had to search various sources online to get his books and I have been happy whenever I found one at an affordable price. Most his books are collections of short stories, and the books are only 80 to 150 pages. I was excited to learn that he was bringing out two books Impossible Stories 1 and Impossible Stories 2. However I found out that these books are just previous books complied into bigger books and both only have a handful of stories I do not already own and cost $50 each
.
However I have just spent $44 for his book for his book 12 Collections and the Teashop, which is a limited edition printing (only 500 copies) and is signed by the author. All the stories are about collecting. ZIvkovic books usually have a theme - books, music, mist, compartments etc.
ZIvkovic is one of my favourite authors and this is the 10th book of his I have read. I have had to search various sources online to get his books and I have been happy whenever I found one at an affordable price. Most his books are collections of short stories, and the books are only 80 to 150 pages. I was excited to learn that he was bringing out two books Impossible Stories 1 and Impossible Stories 2. However I found out that these books are just previous books complied into bigger books and both only have a handful of stories I do not already own and cost $50 each
. However I have just spent $44 for his book for his book 12 Collections and the Teashop, which is a limited edition printing (only 500 copies) and is signed by the author. All the stories are about collecting. ZIvkovic books usually have a theme - books, music, mist, compartments etc.
Just picked up the first volume of Maggie Anton's trilogy, Rashi's Daughters. Anyone read it? Historical novels are not usually my thing, but this one sounded intriguing.
Forgot to mention that I had been reading The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak. It's set in the 80's, and it's about a teen obssessed with programming on his C64. Along the way, he meets a girl who has similar interests and they program a game together to enter a competition. It's very good. Really gave me a vibe of an action/adventure movie from the 80's with a cast full of kids similar to the Goonies and The Explorers. Rather than inundate you with pop-culture references, it just builds a good story that immerses you. Even has quite a few poignant moments. By the end, I was wishing for a sequel.
Next up, I'll be reading Dragon Teeth by Crighton.
Next up, I'll be reading Dragon Teeth by Crighton.
I have just finished reading/listening to (I alternated between the Kindle and Audible version) We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor.
Description of the book on Amazon
I plan to start on the next book in the Bobiverse series tomorrow.
BTW Bob is an avid Star Trek fan.
Description of the book on Amazon
I plan to start on the next book in the Bobiverse series tomorrow.
BTW Bob is an avid Star Trek fan.
I suceeded in getting my (twentysomething) nephew hooked on Iain M. Banks' Culture space-operas. Every time he's been here and borrowed one of my books I felt like reading it too; Now I have them all as e-books as well.
^^^I have read two of his non-SF books (The Wasp Factory and Crow Road). I have downloaded The Player of Games and hopefully I will get to it sometime this year.
