What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

[REWahoo]

So, I'd like to read more of this author's books, but they have to be a little less silly.

"less silly"

This from a guy who spent years posting photos of a stuffed beaver on this forum...

 

[Lsbcal]

...(snip)...
Even if this were a reasonable way to send a message, 131 is also a prime number, and the sum of the digits is 5, so why not conclude that there are 5 hostiles?
...

So, I'd like to read more of this author's books, but they have to be a little less silly.

I think the author was counting on readers who were less mathematically able . If the author hasn't figured out the silliness factor I'd move on.

The silliness (or maybe reality) issue is an interesting one. Is literature just an entertainment medium? Or should it also inform us in some way? I look for some insights and a good dose of realism (or at least something that doesn't involve wild coincidences) while being entertained. Many readers apparently are willing to go along with complete fantasy as long as they can be engaged to turn the page. That's not bad, just depends on what you want out of your reading.

 

[ERD50]

I just finished my first Lee Child book Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher novel).

I enjoyed the suspense, and I want to ask, are all of his books that unrealistic and stupid?

For example, check out the thinking here: .....


Even if this were a reasonable way to send a message, 131 is also a prime number, and the sum of the digits is 5, so why not conclude that there are 5 hostiles?

Stuff like that bugs me too. I figure it is the writer's job to come up with believable situations. To not do so is just lazy, IMO.

But if we are watching a movie, and I 'sigh' at something like that, I immediately get "It's just a movie" from DW....

The silliness (or maybe reality) issue is an interesting one. Is literature just an entertainment medium? Or should it also inform us in some way? I look for some insights and a good dose of realism (or at least something that doesn't involve wild coincidences) while being entertained. Many readers apparently are willing to go along with complete fantasy as long as they can be engaged to turn the page. That's not bad, just depends on what you want out of your reading.

And apparently, DW and many others are happy with that. I need more.

A friend of mine mentioned that he will accept one giant leap of faith in the story line, to allow a set up. But after you make that giant leap of faith, the rest should fall into place within that scenario. If the writer asks for multiple leaps, he loses you.

A similar concept was presented in the book:

James Kakalios - The Physics of Superheroes - Intro

(very good book, if you are into that kind of thing), he would allow one leap of faith (Superman can fly), but after that, the physics problem had to be applied with rigor. Unfortunately, this means that if Superman swoops down and grabs Lois Lane's arm right before she hits the ground after being thrown out of an airplane by Lex Luthor, her arm tears off and she dies. He can't just fly away holding her by the arm. I will leave the proof for the ambitious student.

-ERD50

 

[Moemg]

I just finished Michael Connelly's "The Black Echo " . Good read . Barnes & Noble has the Nook version for .99.

 

[Lsbcal]

...(snip)...
A similar concept was presented in the book:

James Kakalios - The Physics of Superheroes - Intro

(very good book, if you are into that kind of thing), he would allow one leap of faith (Superman can fly), but after that, the physics problem had to be applied with rigor. Unfortunately, this means that if Superman swoops down and grabs Lois Lane's arm right before she hits the ground after being thrown out of an airplane by Lex Luthor, her arm tears off and she dies. He can't just fly away holding her by the arm. I will leave the proof for the ambitious student.

-ERD50

LOL!!! ERD50, have you considered writing? Maybe this would be a big hit, taking physics seriously in the movies. You could have an Alister Cook type commentator come in and briefly explain why Lois is dieing. Very dramatic and we get a physics lesson too.

 

[vicente solano]

The Hearing by J. Lescroart. Readable.
Dexter Is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay. So so.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Just finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
Although it came as no surprise, this was one depressing dystopian tale.
I typically enjoy dystopian stories but this one...whew. It is the way that he just drops these horrible small details into the fabric of the story that blow you away.
And if you ever wanted to know how many ways you can describe gray and black, this book is for you.

I can't exactly say I liked it, but I thought it was important to read it.
FWIW, I would not ever see the movie, as a friend ambushed me into seeing his other, more famous book made into a movie, No Country for Old Men. I still want those 2 hours back. Utterly lacking in any redemptive quality and pointless in its violence and callousness. It is one thing to read a disturbing book, but quite another to sit through visual confirmation of the gratuitous violence. Give me Yellowbeard, any day!

 

[donheff]

Just finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
Although it came as no surprise, this was one depressing dystopian tale.
I typically enjoy dystopian stories but this one...whew. It is the way that he just drops these horrible small details into the fabric of the story that blow you away.
And if you ever wanted to know how many ways you can describe gray and black, this book is for you.

I can't exactly say I liked it, but I thought it was important to read it.
FWIW, I would not ever see the movie, as a friend ambushed me into seeing his other, more famous book made into a movie, No Country for Old Men. I still want those 2 hours back. Utterly lacking in any redemptive quality and pointless in its violence and callousness. It is one thing to read a disturbing book, but quite another to sit through visual confirmation of the gratuitous violence. Give me Yellowbeard, any day!

I thought the book was excellent and the movie a pretty good portrayal. But then, I like dystopian.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I thought the book was excellent and the movie a pretty good portrayal. But then, I like dystopian.

Any other suggestions, then?
I think my favorite ever is the rather slim Anthem, by Ayn Rand. I also really enjoyed the Lois Lowry trio that included The Giver. Concrete Island, by Ballard, was fascinating.
I also like a few post apocalyptic novels, among them Alas, Babylon, the Handmaiden's Tale, and the more recent Robopocalype. A favorite from childhood was the quite Libertarian-influenced Girl Who Owned a City by OT Nelson.

 

[donheff]

Any other suggestions, then?
I think my favorite ever is the rather slim Anthem, by Ayn Rand. I also really enjoyed the Lois Lowry trio that included The Giver. Concrete Island, by Ballard, was fascinating.
I also like a few post apocalyptic novels, among them Alas, Babylon, the Handmaiden's Tale, and the more recent Robopocalype. A favorite from childhood was the quite Libertarian-influenced Girl Who Owned a City by OT Nelson.

I liked Handmaid's Tale. I guess you have to go with the classics: Time Machine, 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, maybe Lord of the Flies fits. And Neuromancer probably fits the category.

I'm glad you put Robopocalypse in the category. I recently downloaded it from the library.

 

[ERD50]

LOL!!! ERD50, have you considered writing? Maybe this would be a big hit, taking physics seriously in the movies. You could have an Alister Cook type commentator come in and briefly explain why Lois is dieing. Very dramatic and we get a physics lesson too.

Thanks, but Professor James Kakalios beat me to it. Plus he has the credentials, and is probably a much better writer than I am ( I bet he knows how to use possessives and apostrophes correctly!). And he actually finished a book or two. I can start things, finishing, that's another story ...

-ERD50

 

[Gumby]

Any other suggestions, then?
I think my favorite ever is the rather slim Anthem, by Ayn Rand. I also really enjoyed the Lois Lowry trio that included The Giver. Concrete Island, by Ballard, was fascinating.
I also like a few post apocalyptic novels, among them Alas, Babylon, the Handmaiden's Tale, and the more recent Robopocalype. A favorite from childhood was the quite Libertarian-influenced Girl Who Owned a City by OT Nelson.

A really great post-apocalyptic tale, both thought provoking and often quite funny, is A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller.

 

[mh]

A really great post-apocalyptic tale, both thought provoking and often quite funny, is A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller.

I enjoyed World War Z. The format was interesting. It was done in the form of a documentarian interviewing people after the fact (of a near zombie apocalypse). They're making a movie of it also..

 

[donheff]

A really great post-apocalyptic tale, both thought provoking and often quite funny, is A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller.

My father used to tell a story about convincing a non-reading friend to read Canticle to introduce the guy to the joys of reading. The guy loved it and enthusiastically recommended it to everyone he talked to. But he never read anything else saying it would have to be a let down after reading he greatest book ever written. I haven't read it so I will have to put an order in at the library in memory of my father and his pal.

In my response above I forgot to mention Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, a good story about post apocalyptic California following a massive meteor strike.

Edit: just searched for A Canticle for Leibowitz and found a free ePub available.

 

[M Paquette]

In my response above I forgot to mention Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, a good story about post apocalyptic California following a massive meteor strike.

Excellent book. Hot fudge sundaes will take on a whole new meaning. There's also an interesting surfing sequence...

 

[TromboneAl]

Edit: just searched for A Canticle for Leibowitz and found a free ePub available.

Don, do you have a link for that. All the sites I've found so far require signup or have other problems.

Thanks.

 

[donheff]

I Googled Canticle for Leibowitz epub and saw an obscure link to a calibre page that contains a link to download it. Maybe from the Calibre forum?

 

[MBAustin]

Embarrassed to say I finally got around to reading In Cold Blood (4 years after my son had it as required reading in high school and left his copy on the shelf). I now understand what all the praise about the book and Capote were all about. Amazing detail and terrific insight. You couldn't write fiction any more gripping.

 

[W2R]

Just finished Longfellow's Evangeline (free on my Kindle). With vast poetic license, this classic describes the origin of the Louisiana Cajuns ( = Acadians) and how/why they emigrated from Canada to Louisiana. One of the most tragic and romantic word poems ever.

The legend of Evangeline and Gabriel, part history and part fiction, still continues by word of mouth in Louisiana. St. Martinsville is full of Evangeline stories including the Evangeline oak and more.

 

[ERD50]

Just finished Longfellow's Evangeline (free on my Kindle). With vast poetic license, this classic describes the origin of the Louisiana Cajuns ( = Acadians) and how/why they emigrated from Canada to Louisiana. One of the most tragic and romantic word poems ever.

The legend of Evangeline and Gabriel, part history and part fiction, still continues by word of mouth in Louisiana. St. Martinsville is full of Evangeline stories including the Evangeline oak and more.

I'd bet that is the inspiration for this song by The Band:

THE BAND - EVANGELINE LYRICS

The Band had some knowledge of the Acadians, seeing that they had Canadian members and one Southerner (Levon Helm)

THE BAND - ACADIAN DRIFTWOOD LYRICS

Check out Acadian Driftwood on youtube - wonderfully poignant song.


-ERD50

 

[Moemg]

I just read Kate Atkinson's "Case Histories " . It had been highly recommended to me by one of my gym pals . It was a little weird . I may read another of her books to see if they get better .

 

[donheff]

Just read A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul by Shamini Flint. It is an entertaining mystery featuring Inspector Singh, a quirky Sikh homicide inspector from Singapore. The insubordinate, but talented, Singh is exiled to Bali to help with the Bali bombing investigation. Officials there realize he has nothing to offer on the terrorism investigation but they find a skull fragment with a gunshot wound in the rubble and assign it to him. Naturally, he gets his murderer. Fun read. I will order more in the series.

 

[Nemo2]

Just finished Blood Safari by Deon Meyer........have others on order from our library.

 

[Marathoner]

The idea is to read something in French that I wouldn't have to struggle with. With my knowledge of French being pretty rusty right now, I would require a dictionary at my elbow for many of the French classics. Even Dumas was more than I wanted to tackle right now. This is just right - - easier to read along at a reasonable pace without having to stop and look things up, and yet still allowing one to learn a little along the way.

So far, so good. One of the things I had on my list for retirement was brushing up on my French.

I'd also recommend the Harry Potter series for this. Great stories, obviously, and for whatever reason, I felt a little silly reading them in English.

 

[unclemick]

Baidarka The Kayak by George Dyson - out of print but can be found used on Amazon. Aleuts, kayaks and early Russian hunting in Alaska. Also George's 6061-T6 aluminum frame/skin kayak building efforts.

Because I got into a discussion with an old white haired gentleman who conducted a workshop building 6 or 7 of them(retired school teacher). This while waiting for my Sister to finish a Yogi class at the community center.

heh heh heh - Over the decades I've always met 'very interesting' people in the State of Washington.