Book thread, redux

[voodoolily]

And remember when the plague of locusts came? And they had to step on them with their bare feet. But Ma was just glad that they didn't hafta buy feed for the chickens. Dang but that is perseverence.

[HaemishM]

My saccarine meter just snapped off.

[WayAbvPar]

And remember when the plague of locusts came? And they had to step on them with their bare feet. But Ma was just glad that they didn't hafta buy feed for the chickens. Dang but that is perseverence.

When I was a kid, I thought it would be the height of adventure to live like that. Now I throw a fit if my broadband connection doesn't give me 3mb/s at all times, or my pizza is 5 minutes late.

[voodoolily]

Consarnit, Hammy, that isn't sweet, it's dag-nabbed hard-workin', god-fearin', honest folk trying to make a living on the land.

[voodoolily]

And remember when the plague of locusts came? And they had to step on them with their bare feet. But Ma was just glad that they didn't hafta buy feed for the chickens. Dang but that is perseverence.

When I was a kid, I thought it would be the height of adventure to live like that. Now I throw a fit if my broadband connection doesn't give me 3mb/s at all times, or my pizza is 5 minutes late.

Oh, shit did you read My Side of the Mountain when you were a kid? They made a crappy movie of it in the 80s. I wanted to run away and live off the land and raise a falcon SO bad after I read that!

[Sky]

My inspirational book as a kid was the House of Dies Drear (sp, heh). I wanted to be an old black man who tormented a family be making them believe their house was haunted and creeping through secret passages and whatnot.

Now I'm just an old black man in a middle aged white body. But I play a mean geetar!

[Sky]

Oh, shit did you read My Side of the Mountain when you were a kid? They made a crappy movie of it in the 80s. I wanted to run away and live off the land and raise a falcon SO bad after I read that!

[Hoax]

I've been enjoying Bel Canto by Ann Patchett its not great, hell its not really even good.  But I've been enjoying it and I felt the need to share.  Odd story about a hostage situation, an opera singer and various other strange characters.

Oh also, I've been reading Bob Dylan -- Chronicles Vol. 1, its quite odd.  Really I question deviating from my philosophy that I only need to listen to the music, not try to learn about any artists looks/life/hobbies/childhood/dreams/messages... 

Very interesting, but when he talks about making cd's that sucked so people would stop idolizing him I felt kind of wierd and instantly wondered if any of the many songs of his I like were from those records.

[pants]

I've been enjoying Bel Canto by Ann Patchett its not great, hell its not really even good.  But I've been enjoying it and I felt the need to share.  Odd story about a hostage situation, an opera singer and various other strange characters.

Ironically, right now its sitting next to our bed, due to my fiancee reading it.  I looked at it, and thought "Pah, rubbish girly book".  Admittedly, she says similar things about my trashy sci-fi and fantasy, so we're probably even...

[Signe]

And they make candy out of snow and syrup!

Wow, I can't believe I remember that. I read those 30 years ago. When I was a woman, apparently. 

Aha!  I knew it!  You are much too sensitive to be a man.  Even a hobbit man.

[MaceVanHoffen]

I just finished reading Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, and it was quite good.  I've read almost everything I can get my hands on Asian history in that period, and this book is above average.  A little factoid I didn't know:  Genghis Khan invented the idea of diplomatic immunity.  He did it under threat of violence, though, so much different than today ... wait, no it isn't.

I'm into the other books in the Ender's Game series now, since I liked the first book so much.  I'm mightily impressed.  Speaker for the Dead is an excellent read.  I can't believe I hadn't read it before.  Ah, Orson Scott Card, I want to have your manbabies.

I finished Transmetropolitan.  Damn.  I mean, just, damn.  I don't know what to say.  Best.  Graphic.  Novels.  Ever.

[schild]

I finished Transmetropolitan.  Damn.  I mean, just, damn.  I don't know what to say.  Best.  Graphic.  Novels.  Ever.

Yes. Even Watchman didn't send chills down my spine like the last 10 panels of so of Transmet. It really is just fucking amazing. If you haven't picked up "Tales of Human Waste" (Issue 0), you should go ahead and do that. It's a great collection of articles written by Spider. It's supposed to be the collection that Royce put together because he had the legal rights to do such a thing.

[Hoax]

Ironically, right now its sitting next to our bed, due to my fiancee reading it.  I looked at it, and thought "Pah, rubbish girly book".  Admittedly, she says similar things about my trashy sci-fi and fantasy, so we're probably even...

I liked the story, it was cute and for I've been enjoying my share of romantic rubbish recently, its like when I get into a beer & pretzel sci-fi phase and go buy the latest 2-6 Mechwarrior books and read them all in a weekend.

[Xilren's Twin]

Nice quick reads are all of Simon Green's Nightside books and Jim Butcher's Dreden files books.  Also just finished and enjoyed Peter Hamilton's Pandora's Star, first book in a new series from him.  Also really enjoyed Michelle West's Sun Sword series of book but I swear I can't find anyone else who's ever read them. 

Recenyly finally made it through all of the Otherland series.  Worth the read if you hadn't already, though the protagonist was a little hard to identify with initially. :)

Xilren

[Morfiend]

Nice quick reads are all of Simon Green's Nightside books.
Xilren

"Im john taylor, I find things, thats what I do, and every one better get out of my way, because Im a hard ass...."

The books would be a lot better if they didnt repete this every few pages.

[Daydreamer]

Recenyly finally made it through all of the Otherland series.  Worth the read if you hadn't already, though the protagonist was a little hard to identify with initially. :)

How I sold the series to a gay co-worker, "The female protagonist gets transformed into a trojan soldier with a dick.  And so does her magical baboon sidekick."

Also, I reccomend anything by Vernor Vinge, particularly A Fire Upon the Deep.

[Sky]

I zipped through the Ring by Suzuki, I'm just not much for reading fiction these days. Decent read, liked the movie better.

Just ordered Last Well Person: How to Stay Well Despite the Health-care System
by Nortin Hadler. Read a great bit by him in Discover mag, he likes to call bullshit on the medical profession. My kinda guy.

Also ordered another (for the library) that I can't recall just now, but it's challenging physics by saying all our progress in the last 30 years has been shit, unfocused, counter-productive and non-revolutionary. Probably a little over my head, but one of our librarians is a huge science geek, I'll have her explain it to me :p

[Paelos]

Just finished The Silver Spike by Cook.

My thoughts, Hamlet was more uplifting at the end. Good lord.

[Johny Cee]

Just finished The Silver Spike by Cook.

My thoughts, Hamlet was more uplifting at the end. Good lord.

It does make Oedipus look like fun family entertainment.....

The later Black Company novels aren't this down.  The goal of Silver Spike was to wrap up matters in the North once and for all, or so I guess.  It's almost explicitly stated in the book, or one of the later books,  that the Northern empire is moving from a conquerer to an administrative focus.  Down with the generals and up with the bureaucrats.

I'll warn you,  Cook's recent novels in his familiar worlds have been pretty depressing.

I started with Bleak Seasons (sort of middle of the books) so I wasn't as affected when I went back and read the earlier novels.

Just bought and read Freakonomics by an econ guy from U. of Chicago.  Great, incredibly interesting read.  Essentially, applying an economics incentive/disincentive to various everyday situations and social events.  Very big on determing corelation versus causitive.

Leavitt connects the decrease in crime in the 90's to the legalization of abortion, evaluates nature vs. nurture and race in child performance, and a couple dozen other things.  Drawn from lots of statistical evidence and some results of regression analysis,  but he doesn't throw math and formulas at you.  Kind of a throwback to the older economists who were big on logic and building conclusions out of behavior/results.

The analysis of a crack cocaine selling gang is interesting,  built from financial records the gang kept that fell into the hands of an associate.

[Fargull]

I have put my brain on hiatus and am currently reading Dirk Pitt novels like crazy.

Must be summer...

[Trippy]

Just finished Generation Kill by Evan Wright (Amazon link here) a book by a reporter embedded with a platoon of First Reconnaissance Battalion Marines (aka Marine Force Recon) during the Iraqi War. They basically led one of the spearheads into Iraqi (though they weren't equipped or trained for that sort of mission) with Wright's platoon often being at the very front of the charge. Highly recommended if you are into this sort of thing.