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Thread: What are you currently reading?

  1. #1001
    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    Currently reading Bernard Cornwell's "The Last Kingdom" series. It's historical fiction based on King Alfred and the battle for England vs the Danes in the late 9th century. I was curious to read it after watching the series on Netflix. While the TV show was good, I now see it was only loosely based on the books; and the latter are much more enjoyable.
    Last edited by Yves; 04-28-2016 at 12:49 PM.
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  2. #1002
    Member -=RTFR666=-'s Avatar
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    Just saw that John Sansford has published his latest Davenport book - Extreme Prey.

    Looks like I've got my Prey crack fix to sate this weekend...
    -=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-

  3. #1003
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by -=RTFR666=- View Post
    Just saw that John Sansford has published his latest Davenport book - Extreme Prey.

    Looks like I've got my Prey crack fix to sate this weekend...
    I'm behind on those and the Virgil Flowers series - I think I need to read the latest two for each. I usually go on a 3-4 book Sandford run at a time, anyway. Always excited when a new Sandford book arrives.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  4. #1004
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    Just finished this one. Really, really enjoyed the first two acts of this, was greatly disappointed and let down by the third act. What began as a really cool hard science fiction novel devolved into.....something different, I'll say, to avoid spoilers.

    Still recommended for the good parts - this was a quick read because of that alone. And I like how Clines writes his characters.

    Now I'm off to read his earlier novel, 14, which apparently takes place in the same "universe." The Fold is ripe for a sequel, so we'll see if 14 can hold up, as well.
    I finished 14, which I enjoyed more than The Fold, though I wonder if I would have liked The Fold more if I read it after 14. What I mean is, both novels follow a similar formula, and while I could see it coming in 14, it was still an enjoyable read. As mentioned, Clines's characters are well-written, and the premise for both novels is pretty cool. The third act in both novels is very similar, but makes more sense (I guess) when you know that you're reading two different stories from the same world.

    So, in The Fold, we have Mike Erikson, a presumably under-achieving teacher who has been hiding his genius and gift of memory. Mike is recruited by a friend to look into a DARPA-funded project to monitor their progress and hopefully learn 1) what it is that they're actually doing and 2) how they're doing it. Clines does a great job hooking the reader with the mystery of the project, and Mike is a fun, if not tortured character.

    In 14, Clines' main character is Nate Tucker, a down-on-his-luck data entry clerk who moves into what he thinks is a relatively normal apartment building in LA. But, as he moves in and learns about his new home, he finds that there is nothing "normal" about this building at all. As he meets and befriends his new neighbors, he discovers that everyone's units have their own little quirks and mysteries, and they all wonder why unit 14 has those big padlocks on it. Eventually, several of the neighbors band together to investigate (amid fears of eviction if they continue), but they could never even have imagined what they will find.

    I'm hoping that Clines will write another novel in this universe and will tie these two stories together. There is still a lot of storytelling left.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  5. #1005
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    I'm behind on those and the Virgil Flowers series - I think I need to read the latest two for each. I usually go on a 3-4 book Sandford run at a time, anyway. Always excited when a new Sandford book arrives.
    Scott, I just finished Extreme Prey, and I gotta say that not only is it one of the better Prey books to come along in a while, the ending sets the stage for a whole new wrinkle to the Davenport saga. The subject matter behind this one is pretty timely, what with the state of the political world as FUBAR as it is at present. Be sure to check back in with your opinion on this one. The ending had me grinning like a happy idiot.
    -=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-

  6. #1006
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Hmm....that's quite an endorsement. I'll have to bump these up on my list, then. Thanks!
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  7. #1007
    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by No Pride View Post
    Just bought the Kindle edition of John Irving's new one, "Avenue of Mysteries." Though I'm a big fan, his last one, "In One Person" was my least favorite of his, hope he's back on form!

    Quote Originally Posted by No Pride View Post
    Well I finished it and it was slow moving, even boring at times with an unremarkable ending. I think Irving has lost his mojo, sorry to say.
    Just finished Avenue Of Mysteries too and I'm affraid I have to repeat your words: he lost it.
    While reading I had the feeling Irving is doing a nostalgic tour through the themes of his own novels, while the main character is a writer who looks back on his live (...).
    Irving also did something he never did before: he kept on repeating things, even the funny things or remarks.

  8. #1008
    The Masked Rider - Neil Peart

    Not as good as Ghost Rider (maybe "good" is not the right word) not as engaging as Ghost Rider but it will do. It has a lot Good Africa and Bad Africa running through it. It is good at showing the place close-up for those who have not been there and I doubt I'll go there. I'll take Tahiti thank you very much.

  9. #1009
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    The Mountains Of Saint Francis-Discovering The Geologic Events That Shaped Our Earth-Walter Alvarez

    Geology and global plate tectonics have been an interest of mine ever since reading John McPhee's book,Basin And Range, many years ago.

    Alvarez focuses on Italy's Apennine mountains and details the discoveries that lead to greater understanding of Earth's geologic and tectonic past,present and future.

    I'm about halfway through: Alvarez isn't the most graceful wordsmith but he keeps it simple and i'm learning stuff i never knew.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  10. #1010
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    ^Thanks for the recommendation. I'll read that.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

  11. #1011
    Quote Originally Posted by Yves View Post
    Currently reading Bernard Cornwell's "The Last Kingdom" series. It's historical fiction based on King Alfred and the battle for England vs the Danes in the late 9th century. I was curious to read it after watching the series on Netflix. While the TV show was good, I now see it was only loosely based on the books; and the latter are much more enjoyable.
    Fun books. I am through book 4 but am taking a break so that I will have a few to read while I am in Japan this summer.

  12. #1012
    Member wideopenears's Avatar
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    David Mitchell-Number 9 Dream

    I've been working somewhat backwards through his stuff---when I finish this, Ghostwritten will be the last unread..


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    "And this is the chorus.....or perhaps it's a bridge...."

  13. #1013
    David Mitchell is one of my favourite authors. I loved Cloud Atlas especially. I have read him in sequence right from Ghostwritten but have yet to open my hardback of The Bone Clocks, just never seem to have the time. I need a holiday to immerse myself in it.


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  14. #1014
    Member -=RTFR666=-'s Avatar
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    Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
    70 pages in, 70 bazillion to go
    -=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-

  15. #1015
    Member Yodelgoat's Avatar
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    I'm back on a Quantum Mechanics bender - Seth Lloyd's Programming the Universe. If you havent been down the rabbit hole of Quantum physics - it is one wild ride. "Physics does radical damage to your perception of reality".

  16. #1016
    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Just finished Della, A Memoir of My Daughter by Chuck Barris. Pretty sad account by the game show producer, Gong Show host, and maybe CIA assassin of his only child's life on drugs and her overdose death at 35. Just goes to show that lots of money, easy access to anything, and little-to-no parental love and attention can lead to ruin. As goofy as I always thought Chuck Barris, he's a fine writer who can use humor in describing the bleakest of situations.
    Lou

    Looking forward to my day in court.

  17. #1017
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    I just finished Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke. Somehow I missed this one years ago. Would love to see a full length movie made of this along the lines of 2001. The recent tv mini series was sadly lacking.

  18. #1018
    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    "A Brief History Of Seven Killings" by Marlon James

    9781780746357_8.jpg

    *WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2015*

    JAMAICA, 1976

    Seven gunmen storm Bob Marley's house, machine guns blazing. The reggae superstar survives, but the gunmen are never caught.

    From the acclaimed author of The Book of Night Women comes a dazzling display of masterful storytelling exploring this near-mythic event. Spanning three decades and crossing continents, A Brief History of Seven Killings chronicles the lives of a host of unforgettable characters - slum kids, drug lords, journalists, prostitutes, gunmen and even the CIA. Gripping and inventive, ambitious and mesmerising, A Brief History of Seven Killings is one of the most remarkable and extraordinary novels of the twenty-first century.

  19. #1019
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Just started Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything.So far,it's a damn good read.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  20. #1020
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    Just started Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything.So far,it's a damn good read.
    He's an excellent author, I should probably pick that up, terrific vacation reading.
    Ian

    Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
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    I blame Wynton, what was the question?
    There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.

  21. #1021
    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    Just started Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything.So far,it's a damn good read.
    Haven't read that one, but I enjoyed One Summer: America 1927.

    Currently I'm reading the history of the melancholic New Wave-band Sad Lovers & Giants by Garce Allard.

  22. #1022
    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    It's on these 41 pages somewhere, but now it's my turn to say I've begun reading The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick in a new Dutch translation.

  23. #1023
    Member Lou's Avatar
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    Dracula by Bram Stoker
    A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence

  24. #1024
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    I've gotten caught up with my John Sandford over the last month, reading Gathering Prey, Deadline, and Extreme Prey. All were very good, and recommended if you enjoy Sandford's other works.

    Now getting started on Jeffery Deaver's "Lincoln Rhyme" series with The Bone Collector.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  25. #1025
    Member -=RTFR666=-'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    I've gotten caught up with my John Sandford over the last month, reading Gathering Prey, Deadline, and Extreme Prey. All were very good, and recommended if you enjoy Sandford's other works.

    Now getting started on Jeffery Deaver's "Lincoln Rhyme" series with The Bone Collector.
    Gathering Prey was a good one. Leave it to Sandford to successfully work the Insane Clown Posse into the plotline
    -=Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the ice?=-

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