What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Barkingsparrow
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:09 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Barkingsparrow »

Mother Biggles wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:45 pm I liked Sherlock Holmes but didn't love it. In those stories there was no way to figure out the mystery using the information provided in the story. In contrast with Agatha Christie if you pay attention you should have a pretty good idea as to the truth of the story.
You think that general rule also applies to "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"?
ekid
Posts: 911
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:10 pm
Location: central Indiana

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ekid »

"I have the very uncomfortable feeling that I am an Uncle Anselmo."

No. You don't qualify. I have met such, and I know.
placeholder
Posts: 8421
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 12:43 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by placeholder »

I have begun nebula award winner A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark which is a sort of alt history steampunk fantasy: https://pdjeliclark.com/a-master-djinn/

There is a free introductory novella available at tor: https://www.tor.com/2016/05/18/a-dead-djinn-in-cairo/
wbarabas
Posts: 80
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:26 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by wbarabas »

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. Really good read about how our attention span has decreased over the years from electronics, to food, sleep, pollution. I enjoyed this!
jebmke
Posts: 25476
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

wbarabas wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 5:31 pm Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. Really good read about how our attention span has decreased over the years from electronics, to food, sleep, pollution. I enjoyed this!
I heard a podcast interview with him. It was interesting. I seem to recall he mentioned something about the need to spend time letting the mind wander — essentially unstructured daydreaming — to maintain concentration.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
User avatar
wabbott
Posts: 430
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2017 4:55 pm
Location: Ruston, LA

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by wabbott »

A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The first of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes works, it describes the first ever meeting between Holmes and Dr. John Watson, their getting to know one another, and Watson's decision to chronicle Holmes' adventures. It had been a good many years since I've read it through and through.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52216
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

Slow Horses, by Mick Herron. First volume in the "Slough House" series. I had to read the second novel first, because the first one was out at the library probably due to be having been made into a TV series.

It was certainly compulsively readable, but irritating. Without any spoilers, let me say that Herron makes use of a rapid-fire series of mini-cliffhangers of only a few pages each... and repeated IMHO cheats the reader by ending a segment with a clear foreshadowing that something is about to happen, only to have something different and unexpected happen. Even a version of the tired device where the reader believes something is real, only to have it revealed that it is a dream, is used.

And the hypercynical cross between Kurt Vonnegut and John LeCarre, in which everything, but everything, is bungled, incompetent, and meaningless is... too much. There's no heart to it, you don't care about any of the characters or what happens to them.

But, certainly, readable.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
Dave55
Posts: 2018
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Dave55 »

"Every Cloak Rolled in Blood" by James Lee Burke. Inside the book cover reads: "James Lee Burke's most autobiographical novel. Novelist Aaron Holland Broussard is shattered when his daughter Fannie Mae dies suddenly...."

Dave
"Reality always wins, your only job is to get in touch with it." Wilfred Bion
Barkingsparrow
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:09 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Barkingsparrow »

Finished Peter F Hamilton's Void trilogy. Typical Hamilton, well-written, dense, imaginative, large cast of characters with multiple plot-lines. His writing style is maybe an acquired taste. This trilogy is about a galaxy-eating entity and the efforts to counter it.

Now back to reading more Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight books - "North of Nowhere" and "Blood is the Sky".
jebmke
Posts: 25476
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

Origin, A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
User avatar
heartwood
Posts: 2700
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

nisiprius wrote: Sat May 28, 2022 4:16 pm Slow Horses, by Mick Herron. First volume in the "Slough House" series. I had to read the second novel first, because the first one was out at the library probably due to be having been made into a TV series.

It was certainly compulsively readable, but irritating. Without any spoilers, let me say that Herron makes use of a rapid-fire series of mini-cliffhangers of only a few pages each... and repeated IMHO cheats the reader by ending a segment with a clear foreshadowing that something is about to happen, only to have something different and unexpected happen. Even a version of the tired device where the reader believes something is real, only to have it revealed that it is a dream, is used.

And the hypercynical cross between Kurt Vonnegut and John LeCarre, in which everything, but everything, is bungled, incompetent, and meaningless is... too much. There's no heart to it, you don't care about any of the characters or what happens to them.

But, certainly, readable.
Whatever Herron's style quirks as an author I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series. I just binged the first season on Apple TV this past week. It hewed close to the first book. Quite interesting to see the characters come to life. Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb is terrific. I was disappointed to see that season 2 is a ways off?
wilson08
Posts: 508
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:37 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by wilson08 »

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

Intriguing novel with somewhat of an ambiguous ending.
Two film versions (1952 and 2017) of this novel have been
made. A young man coming into an inheritance at first
dislikes but is later fascinated by the widow of his benefactor.
User avatar
Lee Saage
Posts: 213
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:25 pm
Location: Georgetown, TX

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Lee Saage »

nisiprius wrote: Sat May 28, 2022 4:16 pm And the hypercynical cross between Kurt Vonnegut and John LeCarre, in which everything, but everything, is bungled, incompetent, and meaningless is... too much. There's no heart to it, you don't care about any of the characters or what happens to them.
I'm rereading the entire Slow Horses series and am about half way through this second go round. I think for about the first third of my first reading of the first book I had the same reaction. I did not care about any of these loser characters. As the series evolves, the characters acquire more depth and become more interesting. Don't become too attached to them, though. Herron has a habit of killing off a character just as he begins to settle into Slough House.

If you do not think the depiction of things as bungled, incompetent and meaningless is realistic, then I suspect you have been blessed in avoiding experience in government or the security services.
Most of my money went to fast cars, fast living and good wine. The rest I just wasted.
User avatar
Blues
Posts: 2501
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 10:58 am
Location: Blue Ridge Mtns

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Blues »

Lee Saage wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 11:31 am
If you do not think the depiction of things as bungled, incompetent and meaningless is realistic, then I suspect you have been blessed in avoiding experience in government or the security services.
Ain't it the truth. (27 years in...and it was enough.)
kiwisun
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:25 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by kiwisun »

The colorless Tsukuba Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. I was not sure what to expect (book not as well know as other by the same author - at least for me) but it was a good read and at the end left an impression in me.
Fallible
Posts: 8798
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:44 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Fallible »

wilson08 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 10:30 am My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

Intriguing novel with somewhat of an ambiguous ending.
Two film versions (1952 and 2017) of this novel have been
made. A young man coming into an inheritance at first
dislikes but is later fascinated by the widow of his benefactor.
Read the novel many years ago and have seen the 1952 film a couple of times, enjoying the great performances by a young Richard Burton and Olivia de Haviland. The ending was indeed ambiguous and apparently that was du Maurier's intention.
"Yes, investing is simple. But it is not easy, for it requires discipline, patience, steadfastness, and that most uncommon of all gifts, common sense." ~Jack Bogle
User avatar
heartwood
Posts: 2700
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

heartwood wrote: Sat May 28, 2022 6:25 pm
nisiprius wrote: Sat May 28, 2022 4:16 pm Slow Horses, by Mick Herron. First volume in the "Slough House" series. I had to read the second novel first, because the first one was out at the library probably due to be having been made into a TV series.

It was certainly compulsively readable, but irritating. Without any spoilers, let me say that Herron makes use of a rapid-fire series of mini-cliffhangers of only a few pages each... and repeated IMHO cheats the reader by ending a segment with a clear foreshadowing that something is about to happen, only to have something different and unexpected happen. Even a version of the tired device where the reader believes something is real, only to have it revealed that it is a dream, is used.

And the hypercynical cross between Kurt Vonnegut and John LeCarre, in which everything, but everything, is bungled, incompetent, and meaningless is... too much. There's no heart to it, you don't care about any of the characters or what happens to them.

But, certainly, readable.
Whatever Herron's style quirks as an author I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series. I just binged the first season on Apple TV this past week. It hewed close to the first book. Quite interesting to see the characters come to life. Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb is terrific. I was disappointed to see that season 2 is a ways off?
I just read the 8th Slough House book, Bad Actors.

Bad Actors has the same cast of Horses and Park people, plus a new Horse and several new people from the political side and Russia. I had more than one moment of "where did he come from" about a character after the previous novels and novellas. This would probably be hard to pick up as your introduction to the series.

Perhaps with a tip of the hat to the "actors" title, Herron has written the book as Act II, Intermission, Act I, Intermission, Act III. So initially he's referring back to Act I which you haven't read yet. Confusing at first, and for no reason evident to me.

I enjoyed it more for Herron's bon mots than the story lines, but those satisfy as well.

I also stumbled on his Oxford Road series and reserved the first novel, Down Cemetery Road, from 2009.
User avatar
K72
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2018 7:04 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by K72 »

BIGal wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 5:57 pm I'm in the middle of "Better Off Dead" by Lee and Andrew Child. This will be the last of Child's books for me.
Same here. I'm almost done with it and have been rather disappointed. One thing I noticed right off is that it's written in first person, but that's rather minor. I haven't really enjoyed the previous one or two either. The magic seems to have disappeared.
All we want are the facts...
jebmke
Posts: 25476
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

K72 wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:30 pm
BIGal wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 5:57 pm I'm in the middle of "Better Off Dead" by Lee and Andrew Child. This will be the last of Child's books for me.
Same here. I'm almost done with it and have been rather disappointed. One thing I noticed right off is that it's written in first person, but that's rather minor. I haven't really enjoyed the previous one or two either. The magic seems to have disappeared.
the magic disappeared for me when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
kiwisun
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 4:25 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by kiwisun »

Skin in the Game: The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Had experienced soul in the game but never put a word behind that behavior which the book describes.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/360 ... n-the-game
Mr. Rumples
Posts: 2979
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:16 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Since 1619, Virginia has had an elected legislature. In 1643, it became bicameral and effectively became "a little parliament" with its own rules and traditions which still live on in both large and small ways. A Little Parliament: The Virginia General Assembly in the Seventeenth Century, by Warren M. Billings (which I found at a thrift store) is by far the best book on how the legislature matured and how the courts and executive branch developed as the Crown let the colony adapt and develop its own system of government. What is presupposed perhaps is a reader's knowledge of other events in VA history at the time. The legislative traditions were adapted later by the Framers for the new Republic.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
User avatar
abuss368
Posts: 27850
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: Where the water is warm, the drinks are cold, and I don't know the names of the players!
Contact:

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by abuss368 »

“Mar A Lago”. Enjoying it and entertaining.

https://www.amazon.com/Mar-Lago-Inside- ... C72&sr=1-3

Best.
Tony
John C. Bogle: “Simplicity is the master key to financial success."
lazydavid
Posts: 5155
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2016 1:37 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by lazydavid »

jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:46 pm the magic disappeared for me when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Watch the Amazon series. It's excellent, and Reacher is near-perfectly cast. He's about 2 feet taller than Cruise, outweighs him by probably 150 lbs, and has no problem commanding the room even when "Reacher said nothing".
ekid
Posts: 911
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:10 pm
Location: central Indiana

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ekid »

lazydavid wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:21 pm
jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:46 pm the magic disappeared for me when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Watch the Amazon series. It's excellent, and Reacher is near-perfectly cast. He's about 2 feet taller than Cruise, outweighs him by probably 150 lbs, and has no problem commanding the room even when "Reacher said nothing".
But...but...we are reading Books, not watching movies...!?
jebmke
Posts: 25476
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

ekid wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 12:23 pm
lazydavid wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:21 pm
jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:46 pm the magic disappeared for me when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Watch the Amazon series. It's excellent, and Reacher is near-perfectly cast. He's about 2 feet taller than Cruise, outweighs him by probably 150 lbs, and has no problem commanding the room even when "Reacher said nothing".
But...but...we are reading Books, not watching movies...!?
indeed; but if you can't get the image of Cruise out of your head when reading the book, all is lost :P
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
roamingzebra
Posts: 1215
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:29 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by roamingzebra »

jebmke wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 12:30 pm
ekid wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 12:23 pm
lazydavid wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 9:21 pm
jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:46 pm the magic disappeared for me when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Watch the Amazon series. It's excellent, and Reacher is near-perfectly cast. He's about 2 feet taller than Cruise, outweighs him by probably 150 lbs, and has no problem commanding the room even when "Reacher said nothing".
But...but...we are reading Books, not watching movies...!?
indeed; but if you can't get the image of Cruise out of your head when reading the book, all is lost :P
Read the audiobooks narrated by Dick Hill.

Dick Hill IS Reacher.

P.S. For those that follow this advice, there are a couple of books where Hill's cadence was too slow and it made him sound like 80 years old. DON'T listen to those! Unfortunately, I don't remember which two they were, but most of the books narrated by Hill are fantastic. You can probably peruse the Audible reviews to find out which two books to avoid.

P.S.S. There was kind of a war on when Hill didn't narrate one book and Scott Brick narrated instead. Hill fans didn't like any change and while Brick is an excellent narrator, he doesn't become the person of Reacher. He simply is an excellent narrator who brings the story alive.
User avatar
ruralavalon
Posts: 26353
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:29 am
Location: Illinois

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

Andrew Jackson: his life & times, by H. W. Brands.

A biography of a complex historical figure, not focused on his Presidency. the author hypothesized that his actions were the result of constant conflict/adversity in his life. Recommended.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
scguy613
Posts: 96
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2020 9:42 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by scguy613 »

Dave55 wrote: Sat May 28, 2022 4:28 pm "Every Cloak Rolled in Blood" by James Lee Burke. Inside the book cover reads: "James Lee Burke's most autobiographical novel. Novelist Aaron Holland Broussard is shattered when his daughter Fannie Mae dies suddenly...."

Dave
I just bought this one. James Lee Burke is my favorite author. I hope he does another Robicheaux book before he retires from writing.
scguy613
Posts: 96
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2020 9:42 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by scguy613 »

jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:46 pm
K72 wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:30 pm
BIGal wrote: Sun Dec 05, 2021 5:57 pm I'm in the middle of "Better Off Dead" by Lee and Andrew Child. This will be the last of Child's books for me.
Same here. I'm almost done with it and have been rather disappointed. One thing I noticed right off is that it's written in first person, but that's rather minor. I haven't really enjoyed the previous one or two either. The magic seems to have disappeared.
the magic disappeared for me when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Agree Tom Cruise was a bad choice, but I believe he bought the movie rights. The new Reacher series on Amazon Prime Video has a new guy as Reacher who fits him perfectly.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52216
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

Re-reading Hammond Innes, The Land God Gave to Cain, having recently re-read Air Bridge. Both really good, in my opinion. Better than I remembered. Unfortunately, like too many prolific authors, I had been kind of reading everything of his, and his later books started to be chaotic and unsatisfying... but the earlier ones are great.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
Mr. Rumples
Posts: 2979
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:16 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Some years ago, I went on a "tour" of the battlefield for lack of a better term of the Battle of the Virginia Capes. Next to Midway, or perhaps equal to it, the most decisive naval battle in American history. (Which is perhaps why the group included several French and British naval officers.) The guide mesmerized us with his narrative as we gazed at the near ocean and the waters of Hampton Roads and thought of the ships and men who still lay beneath the waters.

The Virginia Navy in the Revolution by James Tormey. This book brings the waterways to life and is a refresher as I plan to spend a week on the Bay sailing with friends soon.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
Dave55
Posts: 2018
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Dave55 »

scguy613 wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 1:19 pm
Dave55 wrote: Sat May 28, 2022 4:28 pm "Every Cloak Rolled in Blood" by James Lee Burke. Inside the book cover reads: "James Lee Burke's most autobiographical novel. Novelist Aaron Holland Broussard is shattered when his daughter Fannie Mae dies suddenly...."

Dave
I just bought this one. James Lee Burke is my favorite author. I hope he does another Robicheaux book before he retires from writing.
JL Burke is one of my favorite author's too! Love every Robicheaux book! Clete Purcell and Dave are a great team!

Dave
"Reality always wins, your only job is to get in touch with it." Wilfred Bion
rockstar
Posts: 6326
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2020 5:51 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by rockstar »

The first Picard book and then Snow Crash for book club.
User avatar
LadyGeek
Site Admin
Posts: 95696
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Philadelphia
Contact:

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by LadyGeek »

Snowcrash is discussed in Good Modern Science Fiction.
Wiki To some, the glass is half full. To others, the glass is half empty. To an engineer, it's twice the size it needs to be.
Mother Biggles
Posts: 173
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2022 7:49 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Mother Biggles »

Barkingsparrow wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 10:34 am
Mother Biggles wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:45 pm I liked Sherlock Holmes but didn't love it. In those stories there was no way to figure out the mystery using the information provided in the story. In contrast with Agatha Christie if you pay attention you should have a pretty good idea as to the truth of the story.
You think that general rule also applies to "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"?
True. That was one of my least favorites though. Ten Little Indians/And Then There Were None I tried but didn't figure it. Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express I was pretty sure I had the answer and more or less I did. Ackroyd I don't think there was enough information to know and didn't have a good guess. How about you?
Barkingsparrow
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:09 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Barkingsparrow »

Mother Biggles wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:27 pm
Barkingsparrow wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 10:34 am
Mother Biggles wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:45 pm I liked Sherlock Holmes but didn't love it. In those stories there was no way to figure out the mystery using the information provided in the story. In contrast with Agatha Christie if you pay attention you should have a pretty good idea as to the truth of the story.
You think that general rule also applies to "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"?
True. That was one of my least favorites though. Ten Little Indians/And Then There Were None I tried but didn't figure it. Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express I was pretty sure I had the answer and more or less I did. Ackroyd I don't think there was enough information to know and didn't have a good guess. How about you?
Not even close. After the reveal of the murderer I was tempted to throw my book across the room.
User avatar
heartwood
Posts: 2700
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

I'm repeatedly striking out on my recent selections.

See my June 3 post above on the Mick Herron Slough House series of books which I continue to enjoy. However I ended that post with "I also stumbled on his Oxford Road series and reserved the first novel, Down Cemetery Road, from 2009."

I started reading it yesterday. It took me a third of the way through to realize I'd read it before and don't particularly like the story and the characters. It's not his story telling in the Slough books, and I find it difficult to be enthusiastic about finishing. We'll see.

My other tough time is with Calypso by David Sedaris. He's a polished and acclaimed writer. His style in Calypso is OK but somewhat off putting for me. Too much self deprecating humor and not a tremendous amount of story (again about a third of the way into the book).
jebmke
Posts: 25476
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jebmke »

Finished “Two Girls Down” by Louisa Luna and “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas” by Jennifer Raff.

Now on “The Nature of the Beast” by Louise Penny
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
jginseattle
Posts: 1125
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:33 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jginseattle »

Hollywood Eden. Electric Guitars, Fast Cars, and the Myth of the California Paradise, by Joel Selvin.
User avatar
6miths
Posts: 811
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:55 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by 6miths »

The recent Dune movie has me reading that series. Just finished 'Children of Dune'.
'It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so!' Mark Twain
Mother Biggles
Posts: 173
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2022 7:49 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Mother Biggles »

So Agatha Christie recently as I mentioned above. I recently started getting into noir. Dashiell Hammett Maltese Falcon was great. Recently finished Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep also great and am in the middle of The Long Goodbye which is even better. Looking forward to watching the former two movies but I don't see Elliot Gould as tough guy detective Philip Marlowe so I'm not planning on watching that.
User avatar
bertilak
Posts: 10726
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:23 pm
Location: East of the Pecos, West of the Mississippi

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bertilak »

Mother Biggles wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:20 am So Agatha Christie recently as I mentioned above. I recently started getting into noir. Dashiell Hammett Maltese Falcon was great. Recently finished Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep also great and am in the middle of The Long Goodbye which is even better. Looking forward to watching the former two movies but I don't see Elliot Gould as tough guy detective Philip Marlowe so I'm not planning on watching that.
Robert Mitchum plays Marlow closer to how I envision him from reading the books, plus Mitchum is really good in any case.

Farewell My Lovely (1975) also featuring Sylvester Stallone, Anthony Zerbe, Harry Dean Stanton
The Big Sleep (1978) also featuring Richard Boone, Joan Collins, Edward Fox, James Stewart, Oliver Reed
May neither drought nor rain nor blizzard disturb the joy juice in your gizzard. -- Squire Omar Barker (aka S.O.B.), the Cowboy Poet
mancich
Posts: 1219
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2014 2:05 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by mancich »

"The World's Fastest Man - The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor" by Michael Kranish
the book bills him as America's First Black Sports Hero. Came on the cycling scene around 1900-ish. Very interesting read.
Robot Monster
Posts: 4215
Joined: Sun May 05, 2019 11:23 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Robot Monster »

The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest by Felix Salten

Next up: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
bstevlin
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:05 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bstevlin »

JERUSALEM THE BIOGRAPHY. Simon Sebag Montefiore. The author is more known for his books on Russia, biographies of the Romanovs and Stalin. This book is a detailed history of the historical figures and ever changing governance including three major religions. It is a long detailed slog at the same both tedious and fascinating.

THUNDERSTRUCK. Eric Larson. Larson is a Boglehead favorite author. Entertaining non fiction.
matti
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:17 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by matti »

I am rereading Ghostly Tales of Minnesota by Ruth Hein.
Barkingsparrow
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:09 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Barkingsparrow »

bstevlin wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 3:50 pm THUNDERSTRUCK. Eric Larson. Larson is a Boglehead favorite author. Entertaining non fiction.
I just finished this. As you said, entertaining - but also informative. Larson is always good at providing color around the historical events and people.
egri
Posts: 177
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2022 10:22 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by egri »

I just finished The Revolution That Wasn't, about the GME bubble. I thought I would enjoy it more after reading The Big Short, but by the end I was only trudging through it to finish what I'd started.
mega317
Posts: 5705
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:55 am

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by mega317 »

bstevlin wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 3:50 pm THUNDERSTRUCK. Eric Larson. Larson is a Boglehead favorite author. Entertaining non fiction.
I liked this one a lot but it's been 10 years. Maybe I should read it again. Also liked Isaac's Storm.
jginseattle
Posts: 1125
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:33 pm

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jginseattle »

Mother Biggles wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:20 am So Agatha Christie recently as I mentioned above. I recently started getting into noir. Dashiell Hammett Maltese Falcon was great. Recently finished Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep also great and am in the middle of The Long Goodbye which is even better. Looking forward to watching the former two movies but I don't see Elliot Gould as tough guy detective Philip Marlowe so I'm not planning on watching that.
Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye is one of my all time favorite movies. It reflects the sensibilities of Robert Altman rather than Raymond Chandler. It's a very 1970s movie. (One of the best decades for American films). Recommended.
Post Reply