Whatcha reading?

[usmc0331horn 953]

Just ordered Forget the Alamo. Hopefully I don't get arrested and sent to reeducation camp.

[Chad Fuck 17670]

Just ordered Forget the Alamo. Hopefully I don't get arrested and sent to reeducation camp.

I’m about half way through. I have to say, having just finished “Big Wonderful Thing,” that book handled the same subject (Texas Rev) with more depth and a much superior quality of writing style. Forget takes a little more overtly revisionist stance, while Big was more “these are the facts” and didn’t overtly say “we are taking on the myths” as does Forget. That’s not to say Forget doesn’t have its merits. It’s been enjoyable so far.

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

After seeing an excerpt here I had to get "The Ends of the World" by Peter Brannen, about the mass extinctions of the past and, perhaps, the present.  I'm about 1/4 of the way through, and am enjoying it thoroughly.  Brannen has an engaging writing style and the ability to explain geology and chemistry well.  It is a broad overview, but with enough detail to get me curious to learn more.

[Felix 607]

Just finished A Higher Call by Adam Makos.  WWII non-fiction about an incredible incident in the air war over Germany.  Fantastic read.  Second Makos book I've read and I may have to read them all.  He tells a great story.

[Sbbruin 21842]

Random thing I just learned. Did you know that Carly Simon is the daughter of Richard Simon, founder of Simon and Schuster? She is likely the more famous of the 2, but I had no idea.

[Etexhorn13 3045]

On 6/2/2021 at 5:26 PM, Post Oak said:

Almost done with this one.  The author does a great job of putting you right there with JWB and Herold.  

I've really enjoyed it.

Very good rec. I picked this up before we hit the beach for a week and it was hard to put down. 

[BearSchlong 8084]

Finished this one on Audible a few weeks ago.  Just saw that the Trump organization is still sucking money out of the SS budget.

Pretty good book.

[Red Five 40852]

Finished this last night. I liked it better than The Martian, and I really liked The Martian.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

On 7/8/2021 at 3:27 PM, BearSchlong said:

Finished this one on Audible a few weeks ago.  Just saw that the Trump organization is still sucking money out of the SS budget.

Pretty good book.

Just picked this up last week; looking forward to it.

[Gil Bang 25944]

I really like CJ Box.  Downloaded his new one this morning. 

[NIUHuskies 504]

Just finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Made me want to go back to Savannah.

[Bama Llama 1450]

On 7/7/2021 at 4:44 PM, Sbbruin said:

Random thing I just learned. Did you know that Carly Simon is the daughter of Richard Simon, founder of Simon and Schuster? She is likely the more famous of the 2, but I had no idea.

Yes, I did know that and it only made me desire her beautiful bones all the more.  And that fantastic voice.  But maybe not so happy younger years.  I imagine she was referring to her parents when she sang,

"My father sits at night with no lights on
His cigarette glows in the dark.
The living room is still;
I walk by, no remark.
I tiptoe past the master bedroom where
My mother reads her magazines.
I hear her call sweet dreams,
But I forgot how to dream."

But I digress

[Hozz 1017]

Fast Food Nation.  Pretty crazy shit AND it's 20 years out of date.  It presents a very high level history of fast food but its really about the consolidation and industrialization of the food supply in America.

[NorthLoop 14190]

Read The Outsider without knowing that it was kind of a sequel to the Bill Hodges trilogy, which I hadn't read. So I'm starting Mr. Mercedes now.

[castolon 193]

On 7/13/2021 at 8:41 PM, Gil Bang said:

I really like CJ Box.  Downloaded his new one this morning. 

Same. I haven't read the other series yet but I love the Joe Pickett series. I discovered it and read them all this year. 

[Gil Bang 25944]

5 minutes ago, castolon said:

Same. I haven't read the other series yet but I love the Joe Pickett series. I discovered it and read them all this year. 

oh man, you gotta read the Cassie Dewell series. "Big Sky" on ABC was based on that. 

And Quinn Colson is really fun too. 

[Mdhorn 5948]

On 7/15/2021 at 7:07 PM, Hozz said:

Fast Food Nation.  Pretty crazy shit AND it's 20 years out of date.  It presents a very high level history of fast food but its really about the consolidation and industrialization of the food supply in America.

No politics, but just think, they cut back on inspectors in recent years, which was already pretty minimal.

Edited July 20, 2021 by Mdhorn

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

On 7/15/2021 at 6:07 PM, Hozz said:

Fast Food Nation.  Pretty crazy shit AND it's 20 years out of date.  It presents a very high level history of fast food but its really about the consolidation and industrialization of the food supply in America.

 

13 minutes ago, Mdhorn said:

No politics, but just think, they cut back on inspectors in recent years, which was already pretty minimal.

When that was first published, it was on the New Books shelves at our library. Great book. Another book that was also at our library at around that time was the one below and it made for a good companion to Fast Food Nation.

[salonghorn 204]

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz. Third in the Odd Thomas series. Very enjoyable. 

[Hozz 1017]

The Accidental Superpower.  Kind of a primer on geopolitics and how geography influenced history and the USA.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21899]

On 7/26/2021 at 2:50 PM, salonghorn said:

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz. Third in the Odd Thomas series. Very enjoyable. 

That whole series is outstanding

[DonkeyCigars 144]

Most anticipated book of 2021 for me is Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So.

Super talented writer who died of a drug overdose, so this will be his only work, and the lead story was fantastic. Check it out: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/10/three-women-of-chucks-donuts

[YChang 3443]

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu

 

Fun and gritty revenge Western (kinda sorta?) that follows the adventures of a Chinese American assassin during the railroad building days. Kinda cool to me to see the author add a new twist to this genre. I really hope this gets turned into a movie. 

[salonghorn 204]

Stettin Station by David Downing. Third book of the John Russell series. Downing creates an outstanding setting of pre war and wartime Berlin. A thriller, spy story and part historical fiction. 

[SimonBolivar 10958]

Finally slogging through Dune for the first time. I'm 56% done and I'm enjoying it, but it really took some time to get into the style.

[Post Oak 20210]

I've had this on my list for a while and finally decided to give it a try.  The reason I was hesitant is because it's written in a "shadow language" of Olde English.  It's kind of phonetic.  I'm about halfway through and it seems to me the language is a character itself.  It's set after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the author said it didn't make sense to write in today's language because that's not how they would've spoken 1000 years ago.

Here's an example.

when i woc in the mergen all was blaec though the night had gan and all wolde be blaec after and for all time. a great wind had cum in the night and all was blown then and broc. none had thought a wind lic this colde cum for all was blithe lifan as they always had and who will hiere the gleoman when the tales he tells is blaec who locs at the heofon if it brings him regn who locs in the mere when there seems no end to its deopness.

it took me about 50 pages to get a good handle on it.  But after that it just like any other book.

Heres the plot.

In the aftermath of the Norman Invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror was uncompromising and brutal. English society was broken apart, its systems turned on their head. What is little known is that a fractured network of guerrilla fighters took up arms against the French occupiers. 
      In The Wake, a postapocalyptic novel set a thousand years in the past, Paul Kingsnorth brings this dire scenario back to us through the eyes of the unforgettable Buccmaster, a proud landowner bearing witness to the end of his world. Accompanied by a band of like-minded men, Buccmaster is determined to seek revenge on the invaders. But as the men travel across the scorched English landscape, Buccmaster becomes increasingly unhinged by the immensity of his loss, and their path forward becomes increasingly unclear.

So far I think it's good.  Not great.  But I appreciate the work the author put into it.

if you're looking for something different give it a shot.

[TwiceHorn 31451]

I am a complete fool for naval combat fiction, especially WWII, or at least "age of steam."

In pursuing such, I came across Alistair MacLean's first novel HMS Ulysses.  MacLean wrote Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare, among some others that were well-known and best-sellers.

Anyway, this is about a light cruiser escorting a convoy through the North and Barents Seas to Murmansk.  MacLean evidently served in the RN with duty in such a convoy.

It's pretty good.  The RN is sufficiently different from the USN, that it takes some figuring out.  This has that in common with the books of Douglas Reeman, which are also recommended if interested in such.

One thing that comes through is that this is set mostly on the bridge of the HMS Ulysses, among a convoy commander Admiral, the ship captain, the ship's Commander (XO), and ship's doctor.  The bridges on British warships were open to the elements.  That's bad enough in the North Atlantic, but it's fucking hideous above the Arctic Circle.

[castolon 193]

On 7/18/2021 at 10:00 PM, Gil Bang said:

oh man, you gotta read the Cassie Dewell series. "Big Sky" on ABC was based on that. 

And Quinn Colson is really fun too. 

Read all 5 since this post. (I spend a lot of time in airports and hotels). I'm a fan.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 21899]

Just finished Stephen King’s new book Billy Summers.  It’s an excellent read, but not really like a Stephen King book at all.  There are some off handed references to The Shining in it, but nothing supernatural at all.  It’s really a character driven novel.  I enjoyed it a lot.

[shakahorn 1645]

On 7/28/2021 at 11:11 PM, DonkeyCigars said:

Most anticipated book of 2021 for me is Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So.

Super talented writer who died of a drug overdose, so this will be his only work, and the lead story was fantastic. Check it out: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/10/three-women-of-chucks-donuts

Anyone get the book yet?  Are the other stories comparable in quality to the sample?

[NorthLoop 14190]

On 8/6/2021 at 11:15 PM, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Just finished Stephen King’s new book Billy Summers.  It’s an excellent read, but not really like a Stephen King book at all.  There are some off handed references to The Shining in it, but nothing supernatural at all.  It’s really a character driven novel.  I enjoyed it a lot.

Mr. Mercedes also has nothing supernatural in it and is purely character driven. I enjoyed it and started the next book in the series this week.

** The Outsider is basically the 4th book of that series and is definitely supernatural though so at some point it'll cross over. Looking forward to getting to that point. 

[DonkeyCigars 144]

5 hours ago, shakahorn said:

Anyone get the book yet?  Are the other stories comparable in quality to the sample?

Have not; will be doing so later this month at minimum. You?

[deadshank 24652]

On 8/1/2021 at 5:19 PM, YChang said:

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu

 

Fun and gritty revenge Western (kinda sorta?) that follows the adventures of a Chinese American assassin during the railroad building days. Kinda cool to me to see the author add a new twist to this genre. I really hope this gets turned into a movie. 

Will check this out. 

[shakahorn 1645]

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu
 
Fun and gritty revenge Western (kinda sorta?) that follows the adventures of a Chinese American assassin during the railroad building days. Kinda cool to me to see the author add a new twist to this genre. I really hope this gets turned into a movie. 

Got this one about 2/3 through, it’s a quick easy read, short chapters makes it easy to put down and pick back up again. Good story thus far, hopefully the ending doesn’t disappoint.

[Your Mom 4805]

I enjoyed this as much, maybe more than The Martian a few years ago. It’s worth noting that I thought his second novel about the colony on the moon was garbage.  

[DonkeyCigars 144]

On 8/8/2021 at 4:51 PM, shakahorn said:

Anyone get the book yet?  Are the other stories comparable in quality to the sample?

Bought the book finally; will get into it by early next week.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21899]

On 8/16/2021 at 8:51 PM, Your Mom said:

I enjoyed this as much, maybe more than The Martian a few years ago. It’s worth noting that I thought his second novel about the colony on the moon was garbage.  

While I enjoyed this book, I don't think it was as good as The Martian.

[deadshank 24652]

My biography. 
 

[Post Oak 20210]

Just finished this.  Came away looking at the Alamo completely different.

[Zepol87 9185]

Almost half way through. I was getting through it pretty quickly but life and work got in the way the past month. Need to pick it up back up

[CooterBrown 18006]

Finally reading Empire of the Summer Moon after having the book for several years.

What a great read.

The Comanches may be the most horrible, vicious people that have ever walked the earth.

[bluto 4916]

Finally wrapped up where the crawdads sing, solid.

Just getting into the meat of Station 11.

[DonkeyCigars 144]

On 8/22/2021 at 6:52 PM, CooterBrown said:

Finally reading Empire of the Summer Moon after having the book for several years.

What a great read.

The Comanches may be the most horrible, vicious people that have ever walked the earth.

Empire of Summer Moon is an all-timer for me.

[DonkeyCigars 144]

On 8/8/2021 at 4:51 PM, shakahorn said:

Anyone get the book yet?  Are the other stories comparable in quality to the sample?

Finally got around to knocking this out on a very long flight.

It was okay--no, it was good, not just okay, but also very immature in a "Fresh Voices" or "XXL Freshman" kind of way. A little rough around the edges, a bit stilted and often meandering and choked, but the heart and soul was there.

And it's an authentic voice-- a 2nd generation immigrant of the Killing Fields who is gay and high all the time-- and coping with that transitional space between tradition and modernity. 

If you've read Three Women at Chuck's Donuts (again, here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/10/three-women-of-chucks-donuts) you've read the best story. Still, a life cut down even before his prime and in a tragic way (drug OD) and a budding new voice and author taken too soon. God bless us.

Edited August 26, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[patrickdrinksbeer 788]

Finally wrapped up where the crawdads sing, solid.

Just getting into the meat of Station 11.

read Station 11 based on this thread. thought it was pretty bad.

[bluto 4916]

read Station 11 based on this thread. thought it was pretty bad.

Yaaaa I got about 20% left on it, not a huge fan. The different timelines weren’t handled very well, and don’t really give much of a shit about Arthur’s affairs.

The actual dystopia/pandemic side has been solid tho.

[4th&Five 41525]

About 3/4 through the new King. Digging it. Nothing supernatural in this one. 

[Not that Bob 735]

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Art and Creation of Walt Disney's Classic Animated Film by J.B. Kaufman

[NorthLoop 14190]

Just finished Ready Player Two.

 

Not as good as the first one, but not nearly as bad as the reviews say. The first 1/3 of it are hard to get through as it's just a lot of exposition of how we got from the end of RP1 to the current story arc. I don't think he needed to spend that much time on it, but maybe he felt like the book was too short without it. Once you get past that part, the rest of the book is fast-paced and a fun read. 

[BearSchlong 8084]

Had a bunch of drive time lately and some Audible credits to burn. . .