What Book Are You Reading?

[geezin']

Rereading The Pelican Brief. Strange how some books just fit the times.

[oldtimer]

14 hours ago, geezin' said:

Rereading The Pelican Brief. Strange how some books just fit the times.

Hated it.  The fieldcraft used was so laughable that it was ludicrous to think it worked as the book portrayed.  It was my first and subsequently the only Grisham novel I have ever, and will ever read.  An author needs to earn a certain amount of respect from the reader, and he failed miserably.

[MC39693]

I decided to get rid of TV (except NFL games), when I retired.  I have a goal to read 52 books per year, nearly all from local library. Sounds easy... one per week. I’m a slow reader (retired auditor reads every line 3 times, then again to be sure).  

 

I’ve done it 3 of last 4 years. Last year was too hectic; wife retired, sold a house, moved to Victoria from Calgary, started house renovations, changed libraries etc. only 42 completed last year.

 

I log the books, list authors I want to follow etc. But it takes a bit of work to get to 52 new books year over year.  This year I had a fast start and got to 52 today, day 283 I think, averaging 5.4 days per book including finding a book, waiting for it to be available and reading.

 

I'm in good shape for next year as I have a few authors of long series lined up already.  Will read a couple larger books before the end of this year, then start the chase next year again.

 

Thanks for this thread, I’ve followed some that were listed here.

[Travis In Austin]

1 hour ago, MC39693 said:

I decided to get rid of TV (except NFL games), when I retired.  I have a goal to read 52 books per year, nearly all from local library. Sounds easy... one per week. I’m a slow reader (retired auditor reads every line 3 times, then again to be sure).  

 

I’ve done it 3 of last 4 years. Last year was too hectic; wife retired, sold a house, moved to Victoria from Calgary, started house renovations, changed libraries etc. only 42 completed last year.

 

I log the books, list authors I want to follow etc. But it takes a bit of work to get to 52 new books year over year.  This year I had a fast start and got to 52 today, day 283 I think, averaging 5.4 days per book including finding a book, waiting for it to be available and reading.

 

I'm in good shape for next year as I have a few authors of long series lined up already.  Will read a couple larger books before the end of this year, then start the chase next year again.

 

Thanks for this thread, I’ve followed some that were listed here.

What were your top 5 last year?

 

Top 2 or 3 this year?

[geezin']

11 hours ago, oldtimer said:

Hated it.  The fieldcraft used was so laughable that it was ludicrous to think it worked as the book portrayed.  It was my first and subsequently the only Grisham novel I have ever, and will ever read.  An author needs to earn a certain amount of respect from the reader, and he failed miserably.

Give me a shout when you sell 300 million books. I'll pick one up and get back to you.

 

How do you feel about Roger Zelazny? H.P. Lovecraft? Kurt Vonnegut? Stephen King?

 

[RealMarkDeneen]

10 hours ago, MC39693 said:

I decided to get rid of TV (except NFL games), when I retired.  I have a goal to read 52 books per year, nearly all from local library. Sounds easy... one per week. I’m a slow reader (retired auditor reads every line 3 times, then again to be sure).  

 

I’ve done it 3 of last 4 years. Last year was too hectic; wife retired, sold a house, moved to Victoria from Calgary, started house renovations, changed libraries etc. only 42 completed last year.

 

I log the books, list authors I want to follow etc. But it takes a bit of work to get to 52 new books year over year.  This year I had a fast start and got to 52 today, day 283 I think, averaging 5.4 days per book including finding a book, waiting for it to be available and reading.

 

I'm in good shape for next year as I have a few authors of long series lined up already.  Will read a couple larger books before the end of this year, then start the chase next year again.

 

Thanks for this thread, I’ve followed some that were listed here.

That's very impressive and bold! Congrats. Have you posted any titles or authors? What's your preferred genre? I'm inspired!

[oldtimer]

1 hour ago, geezin' said:

Give me a shout when you sell 300 million books. I'll pick one up and get back to you.

 

How do you feel about Roger Zelazny? H.P. Lovecraft? Kurt Vonnegut? Stephen King?

 

The consumer can be a critic without being a best selling author.  I have enjoyed the works of the others you mention.  Keep in mind I am not criticizing your particular tastes, much as I'm sure w&t wasn't critiquing those who enjoyed the Sinclair book.  As for Grisham---the lawyer as hero?  

[oldtimer]

I have been reading a lot this year, perhaps not quite at the relentless pace of MC, thanks to cheap Kindle books as part of prime membership.  I figure at normal prices I have made up for the prime fee on books alone.  Included have been Melville's The Piazza Tales, Dostoievski's The Brothers Karamazov, and lots of pot boiler thrillers from Konkoly, Eisler, Maldonado, Koontz, Kasper, JB Turner, Simon Gervais, Dugoni, Tigner, Bradley Wright, Zunker, Goldberg, and Andrews and Wilson.  The Bourne Enigma was the last to be read.  Currently I am reading Irish Stories and Folklore (A collection of 36 classic tales) edited by Stephen Brennan, in first edition hardback form.  The Silmarillion awaits....

[geezin']

24 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

The consumer can be a critic without being a best selling author.  I have enjoyed the works of the others you mention.  Keep in mind I am not criticizing your particular tastes, much as I'm sure w&t wasn't critiquing those who enjoyed the Sinclair book.  As for Grisham---the lawyer as hero?  

That criticism bears no more than the weight of an opinion. Step back and read what you posted from another perspective. Perhaps then you can see what I saw. Don't recall asking for a review or commentary on my choice of reading material.

 

 

 

[oldtimer]

Of course.  Even professional critic's bears no more weight than opinion.  I thought I made it clear it wasn't a commentary on your choices, and in this thread no one needs to ask in order for people to discuss literature.  It comes with the territory.

[billybob]

Wait...EAPoe...

[RealMarkDeneen]

 

I Was recently gifted this by wifey, and was until now caught up in untangling the green energy fiasco. But, having loved my time spent with W&P and Anna K., I am really looking forward to this final Big Novel of Mr. Tolstoy. It's apparently not regarded as being in the same class as W&P and Anna, but that is so rarified a class that I'm hoping a slight discount will still reveal a classic work.

[Zen Traveler]

@RealMarkDeneen Ha! I've gone a slightly different historical route. I'm on the last 100 pages of a 900+ page book by Dr Robert Eisenman, "James the Brother of Jesus" which isn't religious but more of a historical look at 2nd Temple Judaism to right after 70 CE when the temple was destroyed. It's taken me the better part of half a year to read while I research the historicity of his sources. {Note: I started with my copy of Josephus but found it was easier to research on the internet. ;)}

[RealMarkDeneen]

31 minutes ago, Zen Traveler said:

@RealMarkDeneen Ha! I've gone a slightly different historical route. I'm on the last 100 pages of a 900+ page book by Dr Robert Eisenman, "James the Brother of Jesus" which isn't religious but more of a historical look at 2nd Temple Judaism to right after 70 CE when the temple was destroyed. It's taken me the better part of half a year to read while I research the historicity of his sources. {Note: I started with my copy of Josephus but found it was easier to research on the internet. ;)}

I don't even speak the "I-Word" here anymore. 😇 Mum's the word.

[MC39693]

All Lee Child, Robert Crais, Nick Petrie, Michael Connelly for action, detective types.

 

Dalton Furry, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor and Brad Taylor others for military ops action.

 

Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, Adrian Goldsworthy for historical fiction, Roman, Greek etc.

 

I mentioned Admiral Nimitz WWII personal diary, like watching history unfold in front of you.  Any book by Johnathan Parshall, Craig L Symonds for WWII US Navy .  James Bradley books are good.

 

Jeff Shaara and P.T. Deutermann write fictional history of WWII navy battles.  While fictional, there is a lot of real history in the books.

 

And on and on. Haven’t read any humour for a while but Bill Bryson and P.J. O’Rourke are great.  Andy Weir easy science fiction, Clifford D Simak also.

 

i read so much detail in my working days that I just read for pleasure now.

[MC39693]

@Travis In Austin ... in no particular order;

 

Best this year; A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais.  A bit useful to read the series up to this book, but unto itself a very good action, thriller.

 

The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden, about the Greek vs Persian wars, first of a series.  Iggulden's Emperor series about Julius Caesar was outstanding.

 

Other years;

Amanda Cockrell's Legions of the Mist, and Rosemary Sutcliff's Eagle of the Ninth (noted as a children's book ... it isn't), writing about the Ninth Legion ... historians don't know/agree on what happened to an entire Roman Legion.  How can that be, approximately 5,000 Roman soldiers disappear and we don't know where/when/how?

 

Craig L Symonds World War II at Sea was an excellent review of the total global effort to fight WWII at sea, something I have not seen before or since.

 

Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of Midway by Johnathan Pershall and Anthony Tully, very detailed review of the battle of Midway more information than any other account.

 

Further back, P.J. O'Rourke's Eat the Rich ... Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steal ... Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods.

 

A smattering around genres.

[NADman]

23 hours ago, MC39693 said:

All Lee Child, Robert Crais, Nick Petrie, Michael Connelly for action, detective types.

I'm almost done John Sandford's latest- Righteous Prey. #32 in the Prey series.

As good as or better than most writers in this genre.

 

[RealMarkDeneen]

On 10/9/2022 at 10:31 AM, Zen Traveler said:

@RealMarkDeneen Ha! I've gone a slightly different historical route. I'm on the last 100 pages of a 900+ page book by Dr Robert Eisenman, "James the Brother of Jesus" which isn't religious but more of a historical look at 2nd Temple Judaism to right after 70 CE when the temple was destroyed. It's taken me the better part of half a year to read while I research the historicity of his sources. {Note: I started with my copy of Josephus but found it was easier to research on the internet. ;)}

 

Wait..what?  Wine bottle drip candles from the 1970s? WOWZA! On a more serious note....what was the significance of Jesus brother?

[Zen Traveler]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:50 PM, RealMarkDeneen said:

 

Wait..what?  Wine bottle drip candles from the 1970s? WOWZA! On a more serious note....what was the significance of Jesus brother?

He was head of the Jesus movement in Jerusalem until he was killed in 62CE (almost 30 years).  The Apostolic Fathers and Josephus mentions him as being Jesus' brother. Paul does so as well, while Professor  Eisenman thinks the writer of Acts (and the Gospels) plays him down and rewrites others in his place

 

Eisenman is a renowned Dead Sea Scrolls scholar and weaves quite the stories including James may have been "The Teacher of Righteousness" found in that literature,  but I'm not convinced (yet) because of carbon dating and other scholars not thinkin' so...The thing I've learned most out of his books is how diverse Judaism was at the time Rome destroyed the Temple and what was allowed to remain considering the Pax Romana afterward...

[codewritinfool]

9 hours ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

Wine bottle drip candles from the 1970s?

Wow I forgot all about those.  They were everywhere.

 

I'm reading The Curve of Binding Energy by John McPhee, which is mostly about physicist Ted Taylor.