What Are You Reading? vX.x - Page 11

terpkristin · 07-30-2011, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Confederates in the Attic - Just starting this one, but it is about Civil War Reenactors and how hardcore they are...pretty interesting so far...

I read that in one of my classes in college. I found it amazing how...insane...some people are. It was definitely an interesting read.

I'm finally done with the most-recently launched spacecraft so I have a month of downtime before the next one goes up. I'm about 33% through A Dance With Dragons, so I hope to finally be awake enough to finish that one.

I'm also listening to the Audible version of Fuzzy Nation. It is narrated by Wil Wheaton and also includes the original Little Fuzzy (not narrated by WW). I'm not very far into it yet, see comments above about the spacecraft. Luckily (?), I have to go see my doc on Tuesday, which should give me an hour plus of listening time to and from his office..

/tk

terpkristin · 08-18-2011, 08:19 PM

Finished up A Dance With Dragons, Fuzzy Nation, and Little Fuzzy. Now I'm listening to the 10th anniversary recording of American Gods, a book I've always meant to read.

I'm still waiting to see what my book club is going to read next (it will probably be announced next week). In my near future are The Psychopath Test, The Help, and the Dark Tower books, starting with The Gunslinger, plus whatever the book club reads. I'm fortunate (?) that I have some driving around in my future, plus a spine injection on Tuesday, so it looks like I'll have some quality reading time in my near future.

/tk

Peregrine · 08-18-2011, 10:11 PM

Right now I am continuing in my history of science reading with Radioactivity: A History of a Mysterious Science by Marjorie Caroline Malley. Really interesting so far - about halfway through, and I've really learned a lot about the people, experiments, and scientific politics going on around the discovery of radioactivity and the gradual understanding of what it is and how it works. I believe later in the book will be a lot about how it affected society in general with nuclear weapons and nuclear power.

Next on my list is 1493:Exploring the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann, in which Mann explores not only the ecological effects on the New World by European arrival, but also the changes that happened in the Old World after many things (some not planned) were brought back from the New World. In a time where invasive species are an issue in most of the world, it sounds really interesting to explore the biggest of all swap of invasive species (and diseases) - what is called the Columbian Exchange.

samifan24 · 08-18-2011, 10:17 PM

I just finished "Carte Blanche," the new James Bond novel by Jeffrey Deaver. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brings Bond back to a contemporary setting. I'd recommend it to any Bond or adventure fans.

MacroGuru · 08-18-2011, 10:33 PM

Shameless plug for a friend of mine...

He inked a solid book deal with Simon and Schuster, and I ended up getting the ARC of his first book.....Return To Exile (E.J. Patten is the author).

It is a YA book with the flair of Potter and Spiderwick mixed in...definitely liked it, my kids are hooked on it and fighting over the book. I know it releases on 9/11 according to the ARC, however he was saying his publisher might move it up or back a day.

k0ruptr · 08-18-2011, 11:24 PM

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker.

Kevin Mitnick's story, I'm sure some of you have heard about it. I read through all 432 pages on day one, and I'm enjoying a 2nd read through now. Amazing book. I highly recommend it if you have even the slightest interest in computers, or computer security.

Groundhog · 08-18-2011, 11:33 PM

I’m about 2/3rds through A Storm of Swords and since about the halfway point it’s been one big OMFG moment after the next.

k0ruptr · 08-29-2011, 05:01 PM

omg, why the hell have I put off reading The Millennium trilogy till now?

Mind = Blown!

terpkristin · 09-03-2011, 11:10 AM

I just finished reading Ready Player One. While it's certainly not going to win any awards for being great fiction, it was pretty enjoyable. The premise is that it's the year 2050 or so, and the world has really gone to hell (high unemployment rates, skyrocketing cost of living, etc). Most people are spending a good amount of time living in an online world called The Oasis. When the guy who created the oasis world dies, he leaves behind an oasis-based game challenge; whoever completes the game first will inherit all his billions. The game itself is based on large part on life in the 80's--games, music, and movies. Thus, the book is about the protagonist's quest to try to beat the game. It's full of references to 80's games, movies, and music, and though full of plot holes, it was pretty fun to read. Now I'm kind of jonesing to play Retro Game Challenge.

Anyway, it was a pretty quick and enjoyable read. I think a lot of people who frequent here would enjoy it.

/tk

rowech · 09-03-2011, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terpkristin

I just finished reading Ready Player One. While it's certainly not going to win any awards for being great fiction, it was pretty enjoyable. The premise is that it's the year 2050 or so, and the world has really gone to hell (high unemployment rates, skyrocketing cost of living, etc). Most people are spending a good amount of time living in an online world called The Oasis. When the guy who created the oasis world dies, he leaves behind an oasis-based game challenge; whoever completes the game first will inherit all his billions. The game itself is based on large part on life in the 80's--games, music, and movies. Thus, the book is about the protagonist's quest to try to beat the game. It's full of references to 80's games, movies, and music, and though full of plot holes, it was pretty fun to read. Now I'm kind of jonesing to play Retro Game Challenge.

Anyway, it was a pretty quick and enjoyable read. I think a lot of people who frequent here would enjoy it.

/tk

It's on my list already...along with Robocalpyse.

terpkristin · 09-10-2011, 08:27 PM

Still listening to the first book in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. This books is the first Stephen King novel I've read. I have no idea why people say this book (and series) is so fantastic. The writing is poor, the story-telling is so far uninteresting, and I'm completely uninterested. The only thing that's keeping me going is that everybody says this series is great, and I've heard people say that the first book is the hardest one. I so far don't think it's "hard" just not good.

So, what says the hive mind? Should I bother finishing this book and the series (well, I won't sign up to reading the entire series...I will sign up to finishing this one and giving the 2nd book a go)?

/tk

rowech · 09-10-2011, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Still listening to the first book in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. This books is the first Stephen King novel I've read. I have no idea why people say this book (and series) is so fantastic. The writing is poor, the story-telling is so far uninteresting, and I'm completely uninterested. The only thing that's keeping me going is that everybody says this series is great, and I've heard people say that the first book is the hardest one. I so far don't think it's "hard" just not good.

So, what says the hive mind? Should I bother finishing this book and the series (well, I won't sign up to reading the entire series...I will sign up to finishing this one and giving the 2nd book a go)?

/tk

I would hate to see someone start Stephen King with that series. It's way too daunting, no matter if you love that kind of thing or not. Please read The Shining. It is the first Stephen King book I always tell people to read who are just starting into King. My favorite book by him is The Stand followed by It but to me, The Shining is the crispest book he's written.

Autumn · 09-10-2011, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Still listening to the first book in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. This books is the first Stephen King novel I've read. I have no idea why people say this book (and series) is so fantastic. The writing is poor, the story-telling is so far uninteresting, and I'm completely uninterested. The only thing that's keeping me going is that everybody says this series is great, and I've heard people say that the first book is the hardest one. I so far don't think it's "hard" just not good.

So, what says the hive mind? Should I bother finishing this book and the series (well, I won't sign up to reading the entire series...I will sign up to finishing this one and giving the 2nd book a go)?

/tk

I would give the second book a try after you finish this one. It's an odd series because it was written over the entire length of his career, and so is very disjointed both in story and style. I think the first book is rather different than the rest, so you should give it a bit longer. But if you don't get into it after the second one, I'd say don't bother. Do give some other King a try though, he's got a lot of very different books.

sabotai · 09-10-2011, 10:18 PM

I started listening to the audiobook to the Gunslinger awhile ago. Must have been 5 or 6 years, maybe longer. I stopped listening to it about an hour or two into it. It wasn't really because I didn't like it, I think I just moved on to another book I wanted to listen to on the way to work and never got back around to it.

A few weeks ago, I start reading It. I'm 6% into it (reading it on my Kindle) and so far it's been very average. But then again, it hasn't gotten into the full swing of it. It's still in the "introduce all of the characters" stage.

rowech · 09-11-2011, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai

I started listening to the audiobook to the Gunslinger awhile ago. Must have been 5 or 6 years, maybe longer. I stopped listening to it about an hour or two into it. It wasn't really because I didn't like it, I think I just moved on to another book I wanted to listen to on the way to work and never got back around to it.

A few weeks ago, I start reading It. I'm 6% into it (reading it on my Kindle) and so far it's been very average. But then again, it hasn't gotten into the full swing of it. It's still in the "introduce all of the characters" stage.

Depending on your preference, this is why people either love King or hate King in my opinion. He spends so much time, especially in his great novels, developing the characters. When the action really starts it's so far into the book, many people have been turned off but so much of the groundwork he's laid makes you "feel" the characters when things turn.

Vince, Pt. II · 09-11-2011, 08:56 PM

I've raved about the Dark Tower series often. I also don't understand the dislike for the first book - although it is clearly one of the weaker books in the series, I didn't think it was that bad. I wonder if it's because I listened to it on Audio Book; I thought that George Guidall did an absolutely phenomenal job narrating, and he really put me in the story. We've already gone over my taste in literature here though, and I'm a sucker for an epic series

I'd highly recommend you continue with the series. The fourth book in the series, Wizard and Glass, is one of my favorite books ever. If I were to make a top 5, it'd be in there. Perhaps even top 3.

Lately, a buddy of mine has taken on the personal crusade of introducing me to more Science Fiction. Thus far, the only real look into Sci Fi I have is Dune, Friday by Heinlein, Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. He's given me a few books to read...

Just finished Janissaries by Jerry Pournelle. An interesting story about a group of mercenaries funded by the US government who are basically SOL - they're surrounded in Africa and their rescue helicopters have been pulled out, effectively sentencing them to death. If they fight, they'll be annihilated. If they surrender, they'll be put on "trial," but only to be publicly executed. Before they make a decision on what to do, a UFO comes down and offers to save them...but they must decide right now, and there is no explanation as to what the cost will be. Hard to get too much more into the plot without spoiling things, so I'll leave it at that. It was a pretty good book. Nothing spectacular, some plot holes, but enjoyable.

Now I'm reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi. This one explores a future in which mankind has begun exploring the solar system, but there are several hostile alien races that fight for what few habitable planets exist out there. An entity known as the Colonial Defense Forces controls basically all of the space travel, and they have an army that handles these battles. The catch is that the only recruits that they will take are retirement age - they have sufficient technology that they can overcome the physical debilitation of age, and they want people with experience - and not much to live for, as it's a one-way ticket up to the stars; there is no returning to earth once you enlist.

I'm only about 50 pages in, but it's been a fun read so far. Very interesting having geriatrics as the protagonists - and since the CDF keeps a very tight lid on people leaving and entering earth, the characters have no idea how the technology works. This leads to a nice bit of anticipation on the reader's part as well, since we have to wait to figure it out. Hopefully it has staying power, as I have the sequel to it waiting for me as well.

After I finish those two, I'll begin working on a series by David Weber that begins with Off Armageddon Reef - supposedly about a human colony begun on a far-off planet that is set in motion with a religion already in place to inhibit technological advancement past a certain point. The point being there is a very vicious race of aliens that has destroyed every attempt at human colonization of other planets due to being able to find them via technology. If the new colony can survive without advancing far enough technologically, they should never be found. According to my buddy, that's not very spoiler-ish, so hopefully I didn't get it ruined for me by my buddy and I didn't just ruin it for anyone else.

spleen1015 · 09-12-2011, 11:12 AM

Finally finished A Dance With Dragons yesterday and started reading Hunger Games. Compared to Martin, Sanderson and Jordan, Hunger Games seems to be a pretty short book.

How many of you guys have read any of the In Death Series by J. D. Robb? I know this is Nora Roberts, but I wonder how much of the books in this series is mystery and how much is romance. I don't want to steaming romance novel, but a decent mystery novel may not be too bad.

Scoobz0202 · 09-24-2011, 09:46 PM

Halfway through book two of Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy.

I'm one of those that grew up with Harry Potter. Read LoTR as a teen and loved that as well. I've never truly dove head first into fantasy/sci-fi, but I'll try a different series every once in awhile but nothing has really ever clicked with me like those. I don't expect the same pleasure, but nothing really jumped out.

I enjoyed book one of the Farseer, enough to continue, but book two has really hooked me. Hard. It's become much darker then I expected, and the characters are just incredibly developed.

SackAttack · 09-24-2011, 10:46 PM

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. 2-1-3-4-5-6-7 is the way to go if you're going to read the Dark Tower. Just think of 'The Gunslinger' as Roland narrating the story of the trek across the desert and his meeting with the boy Jake if that makes it easier. Hell, in The Waste Lands, he tells them that story anyway, so that might even be a more immersive way to approach it.

Vince, Pt. II · 09-25-2011, 02:51 AM

Scalzi's Old Man's War ended up being a great book. It reminded me a lot of Starship Troopers, though a bit lighter on the political/social/moral stuff. The sequel, The Ghost Brigades was good, but not as good as the original. I'll go back to the last two in the series (The Last Colony and Zoe's Story) after I finish my next series, as I didn't realize there were two more books until I started Weber's series.

Finished Off Armageddon Reef and am working on By Schism Rent Asunder now. My buddy's plot summary that I posted above is pretty accurate for a head start. I found the beginning of the book difficult to get into, because there's a lot of groundwork just for the backstory. Once you get into the "present day," there's even more, and there are a lot of names thrown at you. Once you slog through it and get comfortable, the book becomes quite enjoyable. It's a sci-fi book set in an age-of-sail era, a very interesting blend of the two worlds. The first book was a little predictable in terms of plot, but I'm not sure how things will transpire going forward, so I'm looking forward to getting deeper into book two.

Also ended up picking up Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I really enjoyed his installment of the Wheel of Time, and have heard great things about his other books, so I'll be starting this one soon.

Also also, recently heard about a book called The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. I don't remember who recommended it to me, but it seems to have won plenty of awards. Anyone here familiar with the book?

SackAttack · 09-25-2011, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Also ended up picking up Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I really enjoyed his installment of the Wheel of Time, and have heard great things about his other books, so I'll be starting this one soon.

Yeah, I picked this one up for $2 at the goodwill a while ago and started reading it day before yesterday. I'm about 300 pages in, and quite enjoying it so far.

I haven't read his WoT stuff, but I liked "The Way of Kings."

spleen1015 · 09-25-2011, 12:58 PM

Mistborn is a great series of books. There's a new one coming out in November.

terpkristin · 09-26-2011, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. 2-1-3-4-5-6-7 is the way to go if you're going to read the Dark Tower. Just think of 'The Gunslinger' as Roland narrating the story of the trek across the desert and his meeting with the boy Jake if that makes it easier. Hell, in The Waste Lands, he tells them that story anyway, so that might even be a more immersive way to approach it.

Gotta say, even reading #2, I just don't care.

It's a lot of character development but no real plot.

I'm about 3/4 through The Drawing of the Three. At this point, I'm not going to finish the rest of the books. We'll see if that changes.

I'm also not digging Frank Mueller as a narrator. Too...breathy?

/tk

terpkristin · 09-26-2011, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Mistborn is a great series of books. There's a new one coming out in November.

Agreed about Mistborn. I'm not sure how the new one will go...

I'm looking forward to reading Way of Kings, though...sometime. My queue is getting longer and longer...

/tk

Peregrine · 09-29-2011, 11:06 PM

I'm not sure how I missed this, but NPR put out a reader nominated list of the top 100 SF and Fantasy books or series last month - obviously as with any list like this there can be some complaints about some that were missed or included, or where on the list things appeared, but overall I think they did a pretty good job.

Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR

I think I've read 46 of the top 50 (or read at least one book in a series.) Pretty much all must-reads in my book. I hate to see China Mieville's Perdido Street Station at 98 but I am glad they included it at all - one of the most mind-blowing books I've read in the last 10 years.

Scoobz0202 · 10-02-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Halfway through book two of Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy.

Finished. Already purchased book 3 for the kindle.

Unbelievable ending. Robin Hobb will give you a glimmer of hope and then smother you in heartbreaking sadness. A part me of says why read book three. It won't end like I want, I'm sure. But I have to read, because Robin Hobb has given me what i've been looking for in the fantasy department.

terpkristin · 10-02-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Finished. Already purchased book 3 for the kindle.

Unbelievable ending. Robin Hobb will give you a glimmer of hope and then smother you in heartbreaking sadness. A part me of says why read book three. It won't end like I want, I'm sure. But I have to read, because Robin Hobb has given me what i've been looking for in the fantasy department.

I flew through that trilogy last year, as it sounds you're doing. It was a great trilogy.

/tk

Scoobz0202 · 10-02-2011, 12:14 PM

Did you continue with her? I saw that she has a few more series connected to the farseer trilogy.

terpkristin · 10-03-2011, 04:47 PM

Not yet.

There's more in my queue, but between my reading group and work, I've got too much going on lately..

/tk

terpkristin · 10-16-2011, 06:29 PM

I'm reading Neal Stephenson's latest, Reamde. I'm almost a third through and though people usually call Stephenson a sci-fi writer and this book is listed under sci-fi, so far it's more of a techno-thriller type book. It's got plot-holes galore though reminds me a bit of Snow Crash. It's nothing like The Baroque Cycle books, though.

As a side note, a large part of this book circles around a fictional MMORPG that has me really wanting to find some older WoW-type game that I can play on my PC. Not a MMORPG but a medieval fantasy RPG type game (and since my computer ain't that great, it would have to be older/not rely on needing the latest in graphics and speed). Must look further into this..

/tk

Vince, Pt. II · 10-16-2011, 06:58 PM

A co-worker let me borrow The Hunger Games recently, and when I couldn't find my current book right away yesterday morning, I picked it up for a brief read. Four hours later, I was finished with the book. Really, really good. Are the subsequent books as good? I didn't realize it was a series until I finished the first.

Back to A Mighty Fortress, the fourth in the Safehold series by Weber. There's a lot going on and I'm enjoying the book, but it doesn't seem to be grabbing me as much as the other three have.

rowech · 10-16-2011, 07:28 PM

Just finished Ready Player One and it seems custom made for every person on this board.

terpkristin · 10-16-2011, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Are the subsequent books as good? I didn't realize it was a series until I finished the first.

I don't think so. The second book was alright, and the third book actually made me like the entire trilogy less. I think the author was told to make it into a trilogy after they saw the reception of the first book. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't read the 2nd and 3rd books. The first book was a great stand-alone story.

/tk

Peregrine · 10-17-2011, 04:02 AM

Personally I enjoyed the entire series, though I do agree that the books were not equally good. I'd recommend reading the whole series though if you liked the first - especially with the movie coming out soon.

Vince, Pt. II · 10-17-2011, 07:04 PM

Yeah, I don't know if I'd be able to just drop the series knowing there's more. Strange, my co-worker thought books two and three were fantastic. Having read the first myself, I can't imagine an entire trilogy keeping that same level of entertainment up...especially without the device of the games and the tension they provide to keep the story lively.

MacroGuru · 10-17-2011, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

A co-worker let me borrow The Hunger Games recently, and when I couldn't find my current book right away yesterday morning, I picked it up for a brief read. Four hours later, I was finished with the book. Really, really good. Are the subsequent books as good? I didn't realize it was a series until I finished the first.

Back to A Mighty Fortress, the fourth in the Safehold series by Weber. There's a lot going on and I'm enjoying the book, but it doesn't seem to be grabbing me as much as the other three have.

Yeah just finished The Hunger Games...I will be buying the next book in a week...I have moved on to Dance of Cloaks as I have Book 1 and 2 and so far, I have been hooked....anyone read this series and have any feedback on it?

OldGiants · 10-18-2011, 07:24 AM

Recently finished Misterioso by Arne Dahl, the latest in the Scandinavian craze. A decent mystery with a jazz theme (Google the title with Thelonius Monk). The police 'A-squad' is a bit over the top, but solid enough and amusing writing--in translation, of course. If you like Tattoo Girl, Jo Nesbo and Hakken Nesser, this is will do until they translate another Nesbo or Nesser.

2030 by Albert Brooks, the voice of Nemo's dad, among other accomplishments. This reads as if he is using his Nemo's dad voice to talk to you. The big one hits California (hooray!), youth starts to attack the Olds who control everything. How to fix everything? That's what the Chinese are for. Credible resolution, although not an ending.

Almost done with The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. There are few books I've read that I did not want to end, and this is one. The baseball details are all true, even for college ball, which this is. Henry Skrimsham is the best shortstop prospect in America when, under pressure from the attention of big league scouts and life in general, he comes down with Steve Blass/Chuck Knobloch/Steve Sax throwing disorder.

This one is funny, true and baseball exciting, a very solid mix. I both want to finish it and never want it to end.

Peregrine · 10-18-2011, 12:26 PM

Just finished reading Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach - really interesting book for anyone interested in space travel - especially the history of it. She goes over all the parts of space travel you may not have thought about before, interviewing astronauts, scientists, and others to put together an interesting picture of the science behind how astronauts eat, excrete, vomit, sleep, etc in space. For me it really humanized astronauts (and cosmonauts) from being the larger than life heroes to being regular people who are very skilled at a difficult job. I found the parts about interpersonal relations between those on long-term missions very interesting, as that will be a huge problem for any Mars mission. Roach is the author of books like Stiff:The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which I also really enjoyed.

Chief Rum · 10-18-2011, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Just finished reading Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach - really interesting book for anyone interested in space travel - especially the history of it. She goes over all the parts of space travel you may not have thought about before, interviewing astronauts, scientists, and others to put together an interesting picture of the science behind how astronauts eat, excrete, vomit, sleep, etc in space. For me it really humanized astronauts (and cosmonauts) from being the larger than life heroes to being regular people who are very skilled at a difficult job. I found the parts about interpersonal relations between those on long-term missions very interesting, as that will be a huge problem for any Mars mission. Roach is the author of books like Stiff:The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which I also really enjoyed.

Awesome, I bought this a month ago, and it's on my lengthy "to read" list. Good to hear it's a good one. It seemed pretty interesting to me, just looking it over.

Peregrine · 10-23-2011, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowech

Just finished Ready Player One and it seems custom made for every person on this board.

Reading this now - absolutely, totally awesome.

SackAttack · 10-24-2011, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Gotta say, even reading #2, I just don't care.

It's a lot of character development but no real plot.

I'm about 3/4 through The Drawing of the Three. At this point, I'm not going to finish the rest of the books. We'll see if that changes.

I'm also not digging Frank Mueller as a narrator. Too...breathy?

/tk

Mueller and Guidall are both awesome, IMO, but you might find Guidall more listenable (in the post-Mueller bike accident audiobooks) if you're having trouble with Mueller.

Young Drachma · 10-24-2011, 09:34 AM

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach: It's not really a baseball book, but rather, a coming-of-age story where the protagonist happens to play baseball.

Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind Sports and How Games Are Won by Tobias Moskowitz: If you liked Freaknomics, this is that for sports. I like to think of books like these as reference because unless you're a working sabermetrician, the lessons aren't exactly anything other than gee-whiz interesting.

How The West Was Lost by Damisa Moyo: Discussing western policies and how abandoning what made the west great has caused it to fall behind the emerging world especially China.

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle

Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley: I read this in a day. But it's probably because I took a insect bio class as an undergraduate and find insects fascinating. More than you ever wanted to know about bee society and life.

Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky: It's like a weaker version of "Good To Great" for the creative set. Another one of those "keep it in the office" reference books.

Young Drachma · 10-24-2011, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Just finished reading Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach - really interesting book for anyone interested in space travel - especially the history of it. She goes over all the parts of space travel you may not have thought about before, interviewing astronauts, scientists, and others to put together an interesting picture of the science behind how astronauts eat, excrete, vomit, sleep, etc in space. For me it really humanized astronauts (and cosmonauts) from being the larger than life heroes to being regular people who are very skilled at a difficult job. I found the parts about interpersonal relations between those on long-term missions very interesting, as that will be a huge problem for any Mars mission. Roach is the author of books like Stiff:The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which I also really enjoyed.

I third this recommendation. I honestly had no idea how involved space travel was prior to reading this. Less Star Trek and other glamourized space drama, that's for sure.

MacroGuru · 10-24-2011, 01:09 PM

I just finished Confederates in the Attic and I have started up on Band of Brothers.

Senator · 10-24-2011, 01:16 PM

Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One

dual reading with

Ready Player One - just introduced The Tomb of Horrors. Not sure about this one yet.

Senator · 10-26-2011, 06:23 PM

Finished Ready Player, One. It's like someone wrote a book with random things I wanted somehow woven into a book. I didn't love it, but it kept my attention enough to run right through it just to see how it ended. I could see alot of people loving it.

terpkristin · 10-26-2011, 07:38 PM

I just finished reading Neal Stephenson's latest, Reamde. I was pretty disappointed with it. It wasn't much of a sci-fi book, though it did use an MMORPG as a vehicle to kick off the plot events. I felt like it would have been a lot better if it'd been written by Tom Clancy.

I'm not sure what's next for me. I'm thinking of listening to the production of Macbeth from Audible while waiting to see what my book club reads next...

/tk

Glengoyne · 11-08-2011, 02:54 PM

I just finished the Mistborn trilogy, and I am really impressed with Brandon Sanderson. I really only read the series because I liked the way he is finishing The Wheel of Time and some of the good reviews here. I really liked the way he wrapped up the trilogy. I've now jumped whole heartedly into the Way of Kings.

Speaking of Kings....I couldn't do the Dark Tower series either. The first book was just ...bad imo. I'm wondering if King wrote it in a lull in his career, because I loved his earlier stuff, and have heard enough good things about his recent stuff that I'm going to give some of it a shot. I'll agree that the Shining is good stuff. Salem's Lot has always been my way to introduce horror fans to King. The Stand is great of course, and I am really partial to Pet Sematary as maybe the scariest thing he ever wrote. It? Not so much my cup of tea. I believe IT might have loomed large in my belief that King's magic had faded.

AnalBumCover · 11-08-2011, 06:30 PM

Has anyone read House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski?

I came across this title while browsing a reddit thread and it caught my attention.

Quote:

Amazon.com Review

Had The Blair Witch Project been a book instead of a film, and had it been written by, say, Nabokov at his most playful, revised by Stephen King at his most cerebral, and typeset by the futurist editors of Blast at their most avant-garde, the result might have been something like House of Leaves. Mark Z. Danielewski's first novel has a lot going on: notably the discovery of a pseudoacademic monograph called The Navidson Record, written by a blind man named Zampanò, about a nonexistent documentary film--which itself is about a photojournalist who finds a house that has supernatural, surreal qualities. (The inner dimensions, for example, are measurably larger than the outer ones.) In addition to this Russian-doll layering of narrators, Danielewski packs in poems, scientific lists, collages, Polaroids, appendices of fake correspondence and "various quotes," single lines of prose placed any which way on the page, crossed-out passages, and so on.

Now that we've reached the post-postmodern era, presumably there's nobody left who needs liberating from the strictures of conventional fiction. So apart from its narrative high jinks, what does House of Leaves have to offer? According to Johnny Truant, the tattoo-shop apprentice who discovers Zampanò's work, once you read The Navidson Record,

For some reason, you will no longer be the person you believed you once were. You'll detect slow and subtle shifts going on all around you, more importantly shifts in you. Worse, you'll realize it's always been shifting, like a shimmer of sorts, a vast shimmer, only dark like a room. But you won't understand why or how.

We'll have to take his word for it, however. As it's presented here, the description of the spooky film isn't continuous enough to have much scare power. Instead, we're pulled back into Johnny Truant's world through his footnotes, which he uses to discharge everything in his head, including the discovery of the manuscript, his encounters with people who knew Zampanò, and his own battles with drugs, sex, ennui, and a vague evil force. If The Navidson Record is a mad professor lecturing on the supernatural with rational-seeming conviction, Truant's footnotes are the manic student in the back of the auditorium, wigged out and furiously scribbling whoa-dude notes about life.
Despite his flaws, Truant is an appealingly earnest amateur editor--finding translators, tracking down sources, pointing out incongruities. Danielewski takes an academic's--or ex-academic's--glee in footnotes (the similarity to David Foster Wallace is almost too obvious to mention), as well as other bogus ivory-tower trappings such as interviews with celebrity scholars like Camille Paglia and Harold Bloom. And he stuffs highbrow and pop-culture references (and parodies) into the novel with the enthusiasm of an anarchist filling a pipe bomb with bits of junk metal. House of Leaves may not be the prettiest or most coherent collection, but if you're trying to blow stuff up, who cares? --John Ponyicsanyi --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Buccaneer · 11-08-2011, 06:36 PM

Tony HOrwitz is one of my very favorite authors and just finished re-reading (actually listening) to A Voyage, Long and Strange. Just like Confederates in the Attic, he mixed history with travel, two of my favorite subjects. This one was about the Age of Discovery in the US (plus the earlier Vikings).

Now I am onto listening to Michener's best book (and my 2nd favorite), The Source, as well as reading Steve Jobs.

08-18-2011, 08:19 PM	#502
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	Finished up A Dance With Dragons, Fuzzy Nation, and Little Fuzzy. Now I'm listening to the 10th anniversary recording of American Gods, a book I've always meant to read. I'm still waiting to see what my book club is going to read next (it will probably be announced next week). In my near future are The Psychopath Test, The Help, and the Dark Tower books, starting with The Gunslinger, plus whatever the book club reads. I'm fortunate (?) that I have some driving around in my future, plus a spine injection on Tuesday, so it looks like I'll have some quality reading time in my near future. /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

08-18-2011, 10:11 PM	#503
Peregrine Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cary, NC	Right now I am continuing in my history of science reading with Radioactivity: A History of a Mysterious Science by Marjorie Caroline Malley. Really interesting so far - about halfway through, and I've really learned a lot about the people, experiments, and scientific politics going on around the discovery of radioactivity and the gradual understanding of what it is and how it works. I believe later in the book will be a lot about how it affected society in general with nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Next on my list is 1493:Exploring the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann, in which Mann explores not only the ecological effects on the New World by European arrival, but also the changes that happened in the Old World after many things (some not planned) were brought back from the New World. In a time where invasive species are an issue in most of the world, it sounds really interesting to explore the biggest of all swap of invasive species (and diseases) - what is called the Columbian Exchange. Last edited by Peregrine : 08-18-2011 at 10:16 PM.

08-18-2011, 10:17 PM	#504
samifan24 Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: NC	I just finished "Carte Blanche," the new James Bond novel by Jeffrey Deaver. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brings Bond back to a contemporary setting. I'd recommend it to any Bond or adventure fans. __________________ "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball...and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time." -Jim Bouton

08-18-2011, 10:33 PM	#505
MacroGuru Coordinator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Utah	Shameless plug for a friend of mine... He inked a solid book deal with Simon and Schuster, and I ended up getting the ARC of his first book.....Return To Exile (E.J. Patten is the author). It is a YA book with the flair of Potter and Spiderwick mixed in...definitely liked it, my kids are hooked on it and fighting over the book. I know it releases on 9/11 according to the ARC, however he was saying his publisher might move it up or back a day. __________________ "forgetting what is in the past, I strive for the future"

08-18-2011, 11:24 PM	#506
k0ruptr Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Las Vegas	Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Kevin Mitnick's story, I'm sure some of you have heard about it. I read through all 432 pages on day one, and I'm enjoying a 2nd read through now. Amazing book. I highly recommend it if you have even the slightest interest in computers, or computer security. __________________ Xbox Live Gamertag: k0ruptr My Favorite Teams : Chicago White Sox - Carolina Panthers - Orlando Magic - Phoenix Suns - Anaheim Ducks - Hawaii Warriors - Oregon Ducks

08-18-2011, 11:33 PM	#507
Groundhog Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	I’m about 2/3rds through A Storm of Swords and since about the halfway point it’s been one big OMFG moment after the next. __________________ Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce Last edited by Groundhog : 08-18-2011 at 11:33 PM.

08-29-2011, 05:01 PM	#508
k0ruptr Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Las Vegas	omg, why the hell have I put off reading The Millennium trilogy till now? Mind = Blown! __________________ Xbox Live Gamertag: k0ruptr My Favorite Teams : Chicago White Sox - Carolina Panthers - Orlando Magic - Phoenix Suns - Anaheim Ducks - Hawaii Warriors - Oregon Ducks

09-03-2011, 11:10 AM	#509
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	I just finished reading Ready Player One. While it's certainly not going to win any awards for being great fiction, it was pretty enjoyable. The premise is that it's the year 2050 or so, and the world has really gone to hell (high unemployment rates, skyrocketing cost of living, etc). Most people are spending a good amount of time living in an online world called The Oasis. When the guy who created the oasis world dies, he leaves behind an oasis-based game challenge; whoever completes the game first will inherit all his billions. The game itself is based on large part on life in the 80's--games, music, and movies. Thus, the book is about the protagonist's quest to try to beat the game. It's full of references to 80's games, movies, and music, and though full of plot holes, it was pretty fun to read. Now I'm kind of jonesing to play Retro Game Challenge. Anyway, it was a pretty quick and enjoyable read. I think a lot of people who frequent here would enjoy it. /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

09-10-2011, 08:27 PM	#511
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	Still listening to the first book in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. This books is the first Stephen King novel I've read. I have no idea why people say this book (and series) is so fantastic. The writing is poor, the story-telling is so far uninteresting, and I'm completely uninterested. The only thing that's keeping me going is that everybody says this series is great, and I've heard people say that the first book is the hardest one. I so far don't think it's "hard" just not good. So, what says the hive mind? Should I bother finishing this book and the series (well, I won't sign up to reading the entire series...I will sign up to finishing this one and giving the 2nd book a go)? /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

09-10-2011, 10:18 PM	#514
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	I started listening to the audiobook to the Gunslinger awhile ago. Must have been 5 or 6 years, maybe longer. I stopped listening to it about an hour or two into it. It wasn't really because I didn't like it, I think I just moved on to another book I wanted to listen to on the way to work and never got back around to it. A few weeks ago, I start reading It. I'm 6% into it (reading it on my Kindle) and so far it's been very average. But then again, it hasn't gotten into the full swing of it. It's still in the "introduce all of the characters" stage.

09-11-2011, 08:56 PM	#516
Vince, Pt. II Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Somewhere More Familiar	I've raved about the Dark Tower series often. I also don't understand the dislike for the first book - although it is clearly one of the weaker books in the series, I didn't think it was that bad. I wonder if it's because I listened to it on Audio Book; I thought that George Guidall did an absolutely phenomenal job narrating, and he really put me in the story. We've already gone over my taste in literature here though, and I'm a sucker for an epic series I'd highly recommend you continue with the series. The fourth book in the series, Wizard and Glass, is one of my favorite books ever. If I were to make a top 5, it'd be in there. Perhaps even top 3. Lately, a buddy of mine has taken on the personal crusade of introducing me to more Science Fiction. Thus far, the only real look into Sci Fi I have is Dune, Friday by Heinlein, Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. He's given me a few books to read... Just finished Janissaries by Jerry Pournelle. An interesting story about a group of mercenaries funded by the US government who are basically SOL - they're surrounded in Africa and their rescue helicopters have been pulled out, effectively sentencing them to death. If they fight, they'll be annihilated. If they surrender, they'll be put on "trial," but only to be publicly executed. Before they make a decision on what to do, a UFO comes down and offers to save them...but they must decide right now, and there is no explanation as to what the cost will be. Hard to get too much more into the plot without spoiling things, so I'll leave it at that. It was a pretty good book. Nothing spectacular, some plot holes, but enjoyable. Now I'm reading Old Man's War by John Scalzi. This one explores a future in which mankind has begun exploring the solar system, but there are several hostile alien races that fight for what few habitable planets exist out there. An entity known as the Colonial Defense Forces controls basically all of the space travel, and they have an army that handles these battles. The catch is that the only recruits that they will take are retirement age - they have sufficient technology that they can overcome the physical debilitation of age, and they want people with experience - and not much to live for, as it's a one-way ticket up to the stars; there is no returning to earth once you enlist. I'm only about 50 pages in, but it's been a fun read so far. Very interesting having geriatrics as the protagonists - and since the CDF keeps a very tight lid on people leaving and entering earth, the characters have no idea how the technology works. This leads to a nice bit of anticipation on the reader's part as well, since we have to wait to figure it out. Hopefully it has staying power, as I have the sequel to it waiting for me as well. After I finish those two, I'll begin working on a series by David Weber that begins with Off Armageddon Reef - supposedly about a human colony begun on a far-off planet that is set in motion with a religion already in place to inhibit technological advancement past a certain point. The point being there is a very vicious race of aliens that has destroyed every attempt at human colonization of other planets due to being able to find them via technology. If the new colony can survive without advancing far enough technologically, they should never be found. According to my buddy, that's not very spoiler-ish, so hopefully I didn't get it ruined for me by my buddy and I didn't just ruin it for anyone else. Last edited by Vince, Pt. II : 09-11-2011 at 08:58 PM.

09-12-2011, 11:12 AM	#517
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	Finally finished A Dance With Dragons yesterday and started reading Hunger Games. Compared to Martin, Sanderson and Jordan, Hunger Games seems to be a pretty short book. How many of you guys have read any of the In Death Series by J. D. Robb? I know this is Nora Roberts, but I wonder how much of the books in this series is mystery and how much is romance. I don't want to steaming romance novel, but a decent mystery novel may not be too bad.

09-24-2011, 09:46 PM	#518
Scoobz0202 Pro Rookie Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Dayton, Ohio	Halfway through book two of Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy. I'm one of those that grew up with Harry Potter. Read LoTR as a teen and loved that as well. I've never truly dove head first into fantasy/sci-fi, but I'll try a different series every once in awhile but nothing has really ever clicked with me like those. I don't expect the same pleasure, but nothing really jumped out. I enjoyed book one of the Farseer, enough to continue, but book two has really hooked me. Hard. It's become much darker then I expected, and the characters are just incredibly developed. Last edited by Scoobz0202 : 09-24-2011 at 09:47 PM.

09-24-2011, 10:46 PM	#519
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	I've said it before, and I'll say it again. 2-1-3-4-5-6-7 is the way to go if you're going to read the Dark Tower. Just think of 'The Gunslinger' as Roland narrating the story of the trek across the desert and his meeting with the boy Jake if that makes it easier. Hell, in The Waste Lands, he tells them that story anyway, so that might even be a more immersive way to approach it.

09-25-2011, 02:51 AM	#520
Vince, Pt. II Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Somewhere More Familiar	Scalzi's Old Man's War ended up being a great book. It reminded me a lot of Starship Troopers, though a bit lighter on the political/social/moral stuff. The sequel, The Ghost Brigades was good, but not as good as the original. I'll go back to the last two in the series (The Last Colony and Zoe's Story) after I finish my next series, as I didn't realize there were two more books until I started Weber's series. Finished Off Armageddon Reef and am working on By Schism Rent Asunder now. My buddy's plot summary that I posted above is pretty accurate for a head start. I found the beginning of the book difficult to get into, because there's a lot of groundwork just for the backstory. Once you get into the "present day," there's even more, and there are a lot of names thrown at you. Once you slog through it and get comfortable, the book becomes quite enjoyable. It's a sci-fi book set in an age-of-sail era, a very interesting blend of the two worlds. The first book was a little predictable in terms of plot, but I'm not sure how things will transpire going forward, so I'm looking forward to getting deeper into book two. Also ended up picking up Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I really enjoyed his installment of the Wheel of Time, and have heard great things about his other books, so I'll be starting this one soon. Also also, recently heard about a book called The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. I don't remember who recommended it to me, but it seems to have won plenty of awards. Anyone here familiar with the book? Last edited by Vince, Pt. II : 09-25-2011 at 02:52 AM.

09-25-2011, 12:58 PM	#522
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	Mistborn is a great series of books. There's a new one coming out in November.

09-29-2011, 11:06 PM	#525
Peregrine Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cary, NC	I'm not sure how I missed this, but NPR put out a reader nominated list of the top 100 SF and Fantasy books or series last month - obviously as with any list like this there can be some complaints about some that were missed or included, or where on the list things appeared, but overall I think they did a pretty good job. Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR I think I've read 46 of the top 50 (or read at least one book in a series.) Pretty much all must-reads in my book. I hate to see China Mieville's Perdido Street Station at 98 but I am glad they included it at all - one of the most mind-blowing books I've read in the last 10 years.

10-02-2011, 12:14 PM	#528
Scoobz0202 Pro Rookie Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Dayton, Ohio	Did you continue with her? I saw that she has a few more series connected to the farseer trilogy.

10-03-2011, 04:47 PM	#529
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	Not yet. There's more in my queue, but between my reading group and work, I've got too much going on lately.. /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

10-16-2011, 06:29 PM	#530
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	I'm reading Neal Stephenson's latest, Reamde. I'm almost a third through and though people usually call Stephenson a sci-fi writer and this book is listed under sci-fi, so far it's more of a techno-thriller type book. It's got plot-holes galore though reminds me a bit of Snow Crash. It's nothing like The Baroque Cycle books, though. As a side note, a large part of this book circles around a fictional MMORPG that has me really wanting to find some older WoW-type game that I can play on my PC. Not a MMORPG but a medieval fantasy RPG type game (and since my computer ain't that great, it would have to be older/not rely on needing the latest in graphics and speed). Must look further into this.. /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

10-16-2011, 06:58 PM	#531
Vince, Pt. II Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Somewhere More Familiar	A co-worker let me borrow The Hunger Games recently, and when I couldn't find my current book right away yesterday morning, I picked it up for a brief read. Four hours later, I was finished with the book. Really, really good. Are the subsequent books as good? I didn't realize it was a series until I finished the first. Back to A Mighty Fortress, the fourth in the Safehold series by Weber. There's a lot going on and I'm enjoying the book, but it doesn't seem to be grabbing me as much as the other three have.

10-16-2011, 07:28 PM	#532
rowech Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2006	Just finished Ready Player One and it seems custom made for every person on this board.

10-17-2011, 04:02 AM	#534
Peregrine Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cary, NC	Personally I enjoyed the entire series, though I do agree that the books were not equally good. I'd recommend reading the whole series though if you liked the first - especially with the movie coming out soon.

10-17-2011, 07:04 PM	#535
Vince, Pt. II Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Somewhere More Familiar	Yeah, I don't know if I'd be able to just drop the series knowing there's more. Strange, my co-worker thought books two and three were fantastic. Having read the first myself, I can't imagine an entire trilogy keeping that same level of entertainment up...especially without the device of the games and the tension they provide to keep the story lively.

10-18-2011, 07:24 AM	#537
OldGiants College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Location, Location, Location	Recently finished Misterioso by Arne Dahl, the latest in the Scandinavian craze. A decent mystery with a jazz theme (Google the title with Thelonius Monk). The police 'A-squad' is a bit over the top, but solid enough and amusing writing--in translation, of course. If you like Tattoo Girl, Jo Nesbo and Hakken Nesser, this is will do until they translate another Nesbo or Nesser. 2030 by Albert Brooks, the voice of Nemo's dad, among other accomplishments. This reads as if he is using his Nemo's dad voice to talk to you. The big one hits California (hooray!), youth starts to attack the Olds who control everything. How to fix everything? That's what the Chinese are for. Credible resolution, although not an ending. Almost done with The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. There are few books I've read that I did not want to end, and this is one. The baseball details are all true, even for college ball, which this is. Henry Skrimsham is the best shortstop prospect in America when, under pressure from the attention of big league scouts and life in general, he comes down with Steve Blass/Chuck Knobloch/Steve Sax throwing disorder. This one is funny, true and baseball exciting, a very solid mix. I both want to finish it and never want it to end. __________________ "The case of Great Britain is the most astonishing in this matter of inequality of rights in world soccer championships. The way they explained it to me as a child, God is one but He's three: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I could never understand it. And I still don't understand why Great Britain is one but she's four....while [others] continue to be no more than one despite the diverse nationalities that make them up." Eduardo Galeano, SOCCER IN SUN AND SHADOW

10-18-2011, 12:26 PM	#538
Peregrine Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cary, NC	Just finished reading Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach - really interesting book for anyone interested in space travel - especially the history of it. She goes over all the parts of space travel you may not have thought about before, interviewing astronauts, scientists, and others to put together an interesting picture of the science behind how astronauts eat, excrete, vomit, sleep, etc in space. For me it really humanized astronauts (and cosmonauts) from being the larger than life heroes to being regular people who are very skilled at a difficult job. I found the parts about interpersonal relations between those on long-term missions very interesting, as that will be a huge problem for any Mars mission. Roach is the author of books like Stiff:The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which I also really enjoyed.

10-24-2011, 09:34 AM	#542
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach: It's not really a baseball book, but rather, a coming-of-age story where the protagonist happens to play baseball. Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind Sports and How Games Are Won by Tobias Moskowitz: If you liked Freaknomics, this is that for sports. I like to think of books like these as reference because unless you're a working sabermetrician, the lessons aren't exactly anything other than gee-whiz interesting. How The West Was Lost by Damisa Moyo: Discussing western policies and how abandoning what made the west great has caused it to fall behind the emerging world especially China. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley: I read this in a day. But it's probably because I took a insect bio class as an undergraduate and find insects fascinating. More than you ever wanted to know about bee society and life. Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky: It's like a weaker version of "Good To Great" for the creative set. Another one of those "keep it in the office" reference books.

10-24-2011, 01:09 PM	#544
MacroGuru Coordinator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Utah	I just finished Confederates in the Attic and I have started up on Band of Brothers. __________________ "forgetting what is in the past, I strive for the future"

10-24-2011, 01:16 PM	#545
Senator FOFC's Elected Representative Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The stars at night; are big and bright	Senna Versus Prost: The Story of the Most Deadly Rivalry in Formula One dual reading with Ready Player One - just introduced The Tomb of Horrors. Not sure about this one yet. __________________ "i have seen chris simms play 4-5 times in the pros and he's very clearly got it. he won't make a pro bowl this year, but it'll come. if you don't like me saying that, so be it, but its true. we'll just have to wait until then" imettrentgreen "looking at only ten games, and oddly using a median only, leaves me unmoved generally" - Quiksand Last edited by Senator : 10-24-2011 at 09:01 PM.

10-26-2011, 06:23 PM	#546
Senator FOFC's Elected Representative Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The stars at night; are big and bright	Finished Ready Player, One. It's like someone wrote a book with random things I wanted somehow woven into a book. I didn't love it, but it kept my attention enough to run right through it just to see how it ended. I could see alot of people loving it. __________________ "i have seen chris simms play 4-5 times in the pros and he's very clearly got it. he won't make a pro bowl this year, but it'll come. if you don't like me saying that, so be it, but its true. we'll just have to wait until then" imettrentgreen "looking at only ten games, and oddly using a median only, leaves me unmoved generally" - Quiksand Last edited by Senator : 10-26-2011 at 06:23 PM.

10-26-2011, 07:38 PM	#547
terpkristin Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ashburn, VA	I just finished reading Neal Stephenson's latest, Reamde. I was pretty disappointed with it. It wasn't much of a sci-fi book, though it did use an MMORPG as a vehicle to kick off the plot events. I felt like it would have been a lot better if it'd been written by Tom Clancy. I'm not sure what's next for me. I'm thinking of listening to the production of Macbeth from Audible while waiting to see what my book club reads next... /tk __________________ GO TERPS! https://www.flickr.com/photos/terpkristin https://twitter.com/terpkristin

11-08-2011, 02:54 PM	#548
Glengoyne Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Fresno, CA	I just finished the Mistborn trilogy, and I am really impressed with Brandon Sanderson. I really only read the series because I liked the way he is finishing The Wheel of Time and some of the good reviews here. I really liked the way he wrapped up the trilogy. I've now jumped whole heartedly into the Way of Kings. Speaking of Kings....I couldn't do the Dark Tower series either. The first book was just ...bad imo. I'm wondering if King wrote it in a lull in his career, because I loved his earlier stuff, and have heard enough good things about his recent stuff that I'm going to give some of it a shot. I'll agree that the Shining is good stuff. Salem's Lot has always been my way to introduce horror fans to King. The Stand is great of course, and I am really partial to Pet Sematary as maybe the scariest thing he ever wrote. It? Not so much my cup of tea. I believe IT might have loomed large in my belief that King's magic had faded.

11-08-2011, 06:36 PM	#550
Buccaneer Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Colorado	Tony HOrwitz is one of my very favorite authors and just finished re-reading (actually listening) to A Voyage, Long and Strange. Just like Confederates in the Attic, he mixed history with travel, two of my favorite subjects. This one was about the Age of Discovery in the US (plus the earlier Vikings). Now I am onto listening to Michener's best book (and my 2nd favorite), The Source, as well as reading Steve Jobs.

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