What are you reading?

Just wondering what others are starting or in the middle of.
More time on my hands now, reading even more than before.

Have to admit, when I discovered how many ebooks/audio books
I could download from my library, bought a tablet just to store them.
( but I’ll never give up my paper books; too comfortable )

What I am reading now.

‘Guns, Germs and Steel’- Jared Diamond
Very good look at how we might have gotten to where we are.

I always have a back up book going, something lighter.

‘HMS Surpise’ - Patrick O’Brian
Book 3 in the Aubrey-Maturin series ( Book 1 is ‘Master and Commander’ )

So, what’s your summer read?

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I’ve been working my way through NPR’s top 100 sci-fi and fantasy books going in order of author’s last name for a few years now. It’s probably way out of date by this time. I didn’t consider when I started that the list only has the first book if it’s series of books so it’s been taking awhile. LOL. I’m currently reading Toll the Hounds, three books away from finishing what I have of Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series. They’re really good but really, really long. I think I’ve been working on just this series for over a year now. :stuck_out_tongue:

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I’m really digging anything by Brandon Sanderson right now. Mistborn was a good series and i’m over half way done with the way of kings. It’s also very good. Ohh and ravens shadow is another good series.

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I vowed that when I retired, I would reread the entire ‘Foundation’ series
by Asimov from start to finish. All 15 books. A nice work in progress

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LOVE Asimov. I think he’s my favorite author. The Robots series was one of the best things I think I’ve ever read. I liked the Empire and Foundation books a lot too.

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Agree. Who would not love Elijah and R.Daneel.
I like old style mysteries and His Black Widowers series fits
that mold.

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Lol. I don’t read. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I read resumes all day. And I have read a massive amount on ELR. I may try an ereader in the future. But at this point there isn’t time in the day.

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In the day, seems like if I had a bit of down-time ( before smart phones
and mp3 players, but after the wheel invention…:grinning:) carried a paperback with me.
When you spent a year on this thing, you read a lot or go crazy.

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Tony Hillerman “The Skinwalker” . :cold_sweat:Last of the series as I understand.

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Thanks for posting this, had forgotten about his books.
Had to put a ‘Hold’ on “The Blessing Way” at the Library.
Want to start at the beginning.

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Spatchka, there are 18 books is the series and I must have read most. If you like mysteries and American native folk lore coupled with excellent prose, his series is stellar.
I just noticed an error.: “The Skinwalker” should be “The Shape Shifter”. As Tony points out in his book, both Skinwalker and Shape Shifter can have identical Navajo (Dineh) meanings.
Being tied to the Library 3-4 week apron strings has always been a hassle for me and wife. Our local Santa Clara Library has a once a month book sale (friends of library) and sell used/nearly new donated books (among the library discarded etc…) to make money.
re: http://www.lovethelibrary.org/buy-books/monthly-saturday-book-sales/
Check out: 12pm – 2pm – sales are $5/grocery bag---------They are practically giving them away. I have taken home several (nearly new) hundreds of dollars in a $5 bag at times. Folks might want to check and see what your local (city or county) library does to recycle used duplicate/unwanted books.

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“Libraries raised me.”- Ray Bradbury.
This was true for me.
A Library Card was always very important as I was growing up.
4 Elementary schools, 2 Jr. Highs and 2 High Schools.
A Library didn’t care if you were the ‘New’ kid.
The Main Branch of our Library is just a few blocks from my
part-time job, so I know it well.
“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
― Ernest Hemingway

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I just started reading Game of Thrones and at a 1000 pages each and some 5-6 books I should be set for a few years. By the way this site rocks.

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I started ‘Game of Thrones’ at about the time I was reading
Bernard Cornwell’s the Saxon Series. Also, the TV show 'Vikings’
came out and Ragnar won out.
I will revisit ‘Game’ after a bit. I have avoided watching any of the
shows. For me it is always, READ first - Watch later.
Hope you enjoy them.
And yes, this is a Great Site. Welcome.

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One on the best reads if you are into living in Rome around the first century and like mysteries, could check:
Marcus Didius Falco


Wikipedia
Marcus Didius Falco is the fictional central character and narrator in a series of historical mystery crime novels by Lindsey Davis
Include a dozen of so:

  1. Silver Pigs. Historical MysteryHM, 1989, Buy. 2. Shadows in Bronze. Historical MysteryHM, 1990, Buy. 3. Venus in Copper.etc…
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Few more books. Finishing The Last One Out by James E. Parker Jr.
re: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/355646.James_E_Parker_Jr_
Very accurate narrative (In service portion) draft times.
I have read most of the Bolitho/ Kent novels and found a few that I may have or have not read before. I love sea - battle stories.
“The Midshipment” is next to try.
re: Adam Bolitho. Adam Bolitho is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the main character in a series of novels written by Douglas Reeman (using the pseudonym Alexander Kent), succeeding the previous main character Richard Bolitho.
The Bolitho novels - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bolitho_novelsWikipedia

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Thanks for the heads up on those novels. James E. Parker Jr’s
Novel sounds like one I might try.
I avoided the draft by signing up; Time marches on…

I admit I also can’t pass up a good Sea novel.

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On a side note, got a pretty nice raise at work, so…
I get another day off - working just 16 hrs now.
( Monday and Friday - Friday is free breakfast buffet for employees,
best part of the day! )
Still under the SS cap for the year.

See more books in my future.:grinning:

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See topic – what’cha reading? what do you have to say about it? Favourite bits, weaknesses, how to sell it to others?

I’m re-reading the Dresden Files, on book 11 literally right now, currently listening. James Martson is a fantastic audiobook reader. The books. . .I really suggest skipping the first two in the series, 90% of what I absolutely hate about the series is just the taint of those two absolutely shit, shit books. I only read them because I had them, and then it got okay at book 3, and good by book 6.

The author is not a good writer – but the world is interesting, and for all his unfathomable faults (misogyny, bullshit super-hero syndrome, overpowered power fantasy surrogate bullshit, sexual tension and perversion that comes from just not engaging sex as an adult until like book 10, martyrdom syndrome, and so on) The series is very, very flawed – because it’s pulp fiction, the precursor to television series. It has lots of problems, but it is also lots of fun.

Main character is a nerdy, powerful wizard in modern times. The series starts off as hard-boiled detective knockoff stuff and then becomes what most tv dramas become over time – an unending melodrama. I can’t recommend this to someone who only wants literature – but those who like pulp fiction, garbage that isn’t Bad Garbage to use King’s terms – - well, it’s not bad. Tho King kicks this author’s ass with his mastery of characterization and serious issues with plot – and The Dresden Files is very much like The Vampire Diaries TV show, and dramatically better than the books., just as the show is. Also, Dresden Files had a single season show – not sure if it would have been better than the books.

solid 3 stars – but if you want something better in more or less the same vein, than you cannot go wrong with The Iron Druid series. That said – for all its faults, I like the Dresden Files almost as much. It’s bad, don’t get me wrong – but it is also just plain fun most of the time. Just, please, for god’s sake, skip the first two books. They’re complete shit. Period.

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There is a thread for this already :+1:

@jojo or @Ken_O_Where merge please?

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