646 replies to this topic

[DuffMan]

Finished book 10 of WoT recently, that one was a grind.  Had a bit more free time this past week or so and I've been blowing through book 11 and should be finished at some point this week.   After that only 3 more to go!

[DuffMan]

Finished book 10 of WoT recently, that one was a grind.  Had a bit more free time this past week or so and I've been blowing through book 11 and should be finished at some point this week.   After that only 3 more to go!

Done 11 and now half way through book 12.  The series has definitely gotten good again with the endgame in sight.

[Mark Carver]

There are a slew of kindle freebies, Holocaust memoirs out today from the Azrieli Foundation:

 

https://www.amazon.c...&qid=1445439206

[fishteacher]

Anyone else reading or have read the new Star Wars book by Troy Wenning or whatever his name is?  If you haven't don't bother...what a steaming pile of shit it is.  AWFUL!!!!  I still have about 50 pages to read, and I'm struggling to get through it.

[Russ]

Anyone else reading or have read the new Star Wars book by Troy Wenning or whatever his name is?  If you haven't don't bother...what a steaming pile of shit it is.  AWFUL!!!!  I still have about 50 pages to read, and I'm struggling to get through it.

Chuck Wendig. Read one of his books once. Really, really disliked it.

[RShack]

The Laundry Series by Charles Stross

 

A sci-fi spy series:  The main character is an ex-IT consultant who works as a Computational Demonologist for a super-secret British intelligence service, The Laundry, that protects society from nasty occult creatures...  

 

In general, I'm not big on sci-fi... but this series is wonderful...

 

• The Atrocity Archives (2004 novel)
  • Also contains the extra story The Concrete Jungle
• The Jennifer Morgue (2006 novel)
  • Also contains the extra story Pimpf
• Down on the Farm (2008 novelette) http://www.tor.com/2...wn-on-the-farm/
• The Fuller Memorandum (2010 novel)
• Overtime (2009 novelette) http://www.tor.com/2...12/22/overtime/
• The Apocalypse Codex (2012 novel)
• Equoid (2013 novelette) http://www.tor.com/2...equoid/?start=1
• The Rhesus Chart, (2014 novel)
• The Annihilation Score (2015 novel)

[DuffMan]

Done 11 and now half way through book 12.  The series has definitely gotten good again with the endgame in sight.

Home stretch now,  about 1/2 through the last book "A Memory of Light" in the series (14)

[PrimeTime]

If anyone is into sci-fi, post apocalypse stuff, there's a really good novel series titled "The Remaining"; penned by DJ Molles .

 

There are 6 books in the series; basic premise is the US government has a doomsday plan where there is 1 special forces soldier stationed in every state of the Union. Their job is to help re-establish things in the wake of any type of catastrophe. The catastrophic event in "The Remaining" is a pandemic known as "F.U.R.Y." (picture a cross between the infected of I Am Legend and the "new" zombies of 28 Days Later or the Dawn of the Dead remake)

 

The books move really quickly and are quite addicting. I highly recommend them.

[Mark Carver]

If you have listed to WBAL radio in the past or currently. Longtime traffic guru for them, (Detour) Dave Sandler has a new book out, 

 

On a hot summer day in 2009, Dave Sandler's life took its biggest detour. He dropped dead on a softball field, but God was not ready to take him. Taking a Detour, describes the many health obstacles and professional challenges he overcame when a cure for cancer caused unforeseen-and catastrophic-health problems decades later. Each chapter is punctuated with important life lessons that will inspire and motivate readers to persevere through their most difficult challenges. "Dave really hits home with his journey of the ups and downs with his battle to get his life back to normal. It is a moving testimonial of just how much fight we all have within ourselves to overcome adversity." - Johnny Holliday, broadcaster for University of Maryland Terrapins and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network

 

http://www.amazon.co...taking a detour

[Mackus]

Read a ton on my trip between the long flights, other travel, and lazing on the beach.

 

Finished the final 1/4 or so of Words of Radiance which I had been slowly reading since July (it's super long, ike 1100 pages, and I was only reading like 10-20 minutes at a time before bed).  Really enjoyed that, it's the 2nd in a planned series of fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson, a friend of mine recommended the first one earlier this year.  I struggled to get into it at first, but was really into it by the end and this second one I dug from the first page.

 

Read The Man in the High Castle, after I had downloaded the Amazon TV series but before I watched it (which I also did on the trip, all on the flight home in fact).  This was a quick read, but I didn't really get into it.  It was tough to figure out what was going on at first, feels like one of those books that may be better on a 2nd read, maybe I'll give it another shot some time.  I enjoyed the show a lot more than the book (they were quite different, though).

 

Read Bridge of Spies, about the Cold War prisoner exchange in Berlin of a convicted Soviet spy for a downed American U2 pilot.  It was pretty dry but I found it interesting and exciting.  Would like to see the movie version that recently came out.  Spielberg and Hanks is always a fantastic combo (in a just world where The Terminal doesn't exist).

 

Read The Right Stuff, which starts off being about Chuck Yeager and test pilots and morphs into a story of the Mercury 7.  Loved this book, favorite of all the things I read on the trip (helped that I read much of it while lying in a hammock over the surf at high tide on Ko Kradan).  I haven't seen the movie, but as soon as I can find it on one of the free streaming services I'll definitely be checking it out.

 

And now I'm onto The Name of the Wind, which Ricker recommended.  I'm about 2/3 of the way through.  I think it's ok but I'm not overly enthralled with it.  Seems more like Harry Potter to me than ASOIAF or the Sanderson books. 

[papasmurfbell]

I just started GOT.  We shall see.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I just started GOT.  We shall see.

 

Have you watched the show or do you have zero idea what happens?

[papasmurfbell]

I have never sat down to watch the show but have a rough idea of what happens.  

[BobPhelan]

I just started GOT.  We shall see.

Enjoy.

[DuffMan]

Got "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" for Christmas.  It's been a while since I've reread any of the ASOIAF books (not starting another reread until there's a release date for Winds) and since I didn't watch season 5 of the TV series I was worried if my enthusiasm for the world of Westeros had lessened. I'm about 1/3 through the book and happy to say that's not the case.  Sucked back into it right away!

[RShack]

"Every Night's a Saturday Night" by Bobby Keys

 

If you don't know who Bobby Keys is/was, you should.  (Among many other things, he's the only guy ever to quit the Rolling Stones who they later let back in.)

 

If you wanna hear the story of a guy who was in the right place at the right time, again and again and again and again, here you go...

 

If you wanna read a rock'n'roll autobiography by a guy who's a hoot, this one will do the job...

[DJ MC]

Just finished a book called America Afire: How the Civil War Created a Nation by David Goldfield. The actual wartime period is only a relatively-small piece of the book. Most of it involves the rise of evangelical Christianity in the mid-19th century and how that combined with immigration and racism and other social problems to create the dual societies that ended up splitting apart. It also follows the Reconstruction period into the late 1870s describing the changes to society resulting from the war and continuing from the antebellum period.

 

It was interesting reading, and seemed very relevant to certain aspects of modern society.

[BobPhelan]

Got "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" for Christmas.  It's been a while since I've reread any of the ASOIAF books (not starting another reread until there's a release date for Winds) and since I didn't watch season 5 of the TV series I was worried if my enthusiasm for the world of Westeros had lessened. I'm about 1/3 through the book and happy to say that's not the case.  Sucked back into it right away!

I bought it with some Christmas money. Read the first novella today, it was great! Loved trying to rack my brain for connections without looking anything up. Can't wait to read the next two and read/listen to some analysis.

I really should try to read the rest of George's books. Tuf Voyaging was really good too.

[DuffMan]

I bought it with some Christmas money. Read the first novella today, it was great! Loved trying to rack my brain for connections without looking anything up. Can't wait to read the next two and read/listen to some analysis.

I really should try to read the rest of George's books. Tuf Voyaging was really good too.

The Targaryen family tree is pretty damn complex.   I really enjoyed "The Hedge Knight"  ,  "Sworn Sword" started off a little slower but really picked up steam.  I've got about 20 pages left on that one then  it's on to "The Myster Knight"

[BobPhelan]

I bought it with some Christmas money. Read the first novella today, it was great! Loved trying to rack my brain for connections without looking anything up. Can't wait to read the next two and read/listen to some analysis.


I really should try to read the rest of George's books. Tuf Voyaging was really good too.

The Targaryen family tree is pretty damn complex.   I really enjoyed "The Hedge Knight"  ,  "Sworn Sword" started off a little slower but really picked up steam.  I've got about 20 pages left on that one then  it's on to "The Myster Knight"

Just finished 'The Sworn Sword'. I agree it took some time to get into it but it turned out to be pretty darn good. Still prefer 'The Hedge Knight' so far.