The sort-of-annual "What have you been reading" thread - 2013 edition

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Honor Harrington Series (2 books) - Rising Thunder, Shadow of Freedom

Still not a fan of the split timeline, but he has at least improved the Talbott books by pushing Terekhov down to flunky.

My daughter is a big fan of the treecat young adult books and said Fire Season was pretty good.

Orphan Series Buettner (or as my ipad autocorrects Bust Tuner) (http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Buettner/e/B001ITXPEK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1)

I actually got into this by picking up Overkill as a Baen Bundle. It is a fairly enjoyable read except for the Tolkien ending of the first series.


Demon Cycle Peter V Brett (http://www.amazon.com/Peter-V.-Brett/e/B001OJR7Y8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1)

This series started out really well, unfortunately the guy went to the David Weber school of advancing plot. Book 2 is basically a rehash of book 1 from another character's point of view. Book 3 takes the rehash to a whole new level with yet another character. By the end of the book, we are running some kind of plot relay. We see from character A's point of view until he gets close to character B where we shift to character B's POV until he gets close to character C where we shift again.

so Book 1 5*, Book 2 4*, Book 3 3* gah.

Kingkiller Chronicles Rothfuss (http://www.amazon.com/Patrick-Rothfuss/e/B001DAHXZQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1)

This is a really good series

Monster Hunters Correia (http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Correia/e/B002D68HL8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1361296153&sr=1-1)

So these are older books that I circled back and read after I'd read the Grimnoir Chronicles. This guy could rewrite Anna Karenina and make it a page turner.

Song of Ice and Fire

I have never read a series where I just want to skip past entire chapters because of how good some characters are (tyrion) and how bad others are (dani) [I have no idea how much they are paying that chick that plays her on the HBO series, but it isn't enough]. Lastly, the obsessive spider webbing that works in the first two books is falling apart in the last couple of books. Following random cannon fodder with mysterious instructions (like the prince that gets eaten by the dragon) to help add another unneeded supporting thread to the plot arc just gets tiring.

Other books -> Boundary(meh), Heir to the Empire (Zahn - on ebook!), first dragonlance series (ebook again), 3 or 4 javascript books (gah)

[C&CDean]

One book. At a time. Works for me.

[ouwasp]

I've been reading a book about the cold war... don't have it in front of me, so I don't know the author... but it's aptly titled The Cold War. Khrushchev was a jackass.

[8timechamps]

Current Read: American Sniper, by Chris Kyle

Last Read: Invisible Armies, by Max Boot

Invisible Armies was pretty good (it's about the history of Guerrilla warfare), but got a little long winded. I started American Sniper after my brother recommended it, just started it, so no review. I'm going to go fiction after this one, any suggestions (newer release)?

[TUSooner]

The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton. No, I do not intend to become a monk.

[OU68]

No Regrets: One Soldier's Tour of Duty

[rainiersooner]

thinking fast and slow by daniel kahneman...it's a bit academic which slows me down cuz I aint too smart but it's a great read on how we make decisions

http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374275637

[olevetonahill]

I read 3 to 6 novels a week, Like Dean said One at a time .

[hawaii 5-0]

I plan on seeing more of the World while I still can.

I'm reading travel books, working on my next trip.

Also just finished the Fooling Houdini book.

5-0

[Lott's Bandana]

Jim Harrison's The River Swimmer on my Kindle Paperwhite.

[C&CDean]

I plan on seeing more of the World while I still can.

I'm reading travel books, working on my next trip.

Also just finished the Fooling Houdini book.

5-0

It's kind of funny. I used to want to go everywhere and see everything. As a kid, I lived in France and we visited pretty much every country in Europe except Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. I've been all over Mexico, Panama, and several Caribbean islands. As I've gotten older I just don't care that much about it anymore. I still wanna do the Ireland/England/Scotland trifecta - but only in some kind of pub tour/bed and breakfast deal that I plan myself. No tours. Ever.

No interest in Australia/New Zealand anymore. DGAS at all about Hawaii, and I still have a couple states here that I haven't visited (Vermont, North Dakota, Montana). Of course none of this has anything to do with reading a book, but now seems as good a time as any to jack the thread.

[FaninAma]

Shades of Gray....just the dirty parts.


Actually just the same old boring medical journals is all I have time to read.

[Lott's Bandana]

It's kind of funny. I used to want to go everywhere and see everything. As a kid, I lived in France and we visited pretty much every country in Europe except Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. I've been all over Mexico, Panama, and several Caribbean islands. As I've gotten older I just don't care that much about it anymore. I still wanna do the Ireland/England/Scotland trifecta - but only in some kind of pub tour/bed and breakfast deal that I plan myself. No tours. Ever.

No interest in Australia/New Zealand anymore. DGAS at all about Hawaii, and I still have a couple states here that I haven't visited (Vermont, North Dakota, Montana). Of course none of this has anything to do with reading a book, but now seems as good a time as any to jack the thread.



Since we are jacking threads, your peeps at Abner's miss you and Lisa...well, mostly Lisa.

Go show 'em some love. Lemme know and I'll meet ya and buy ya an Irish.

[GDC]

Tent Number Eight by Gloyd McCoy about the 1977 Girl Scout murders

[picasso]

Sheesh, GDC, that story is so sad and creepy man.

I recently read The Hobbit. Right now scrolling through Hellboy on me iphone, going to read Mountain Madness the story of Scott Fischer next.

[C&CDean]

Since we are jacking threads, your peeps at Abner's miss you and Lisa...well, mostly Lisa.

Go show 'em some love. Lemme know and I'll meet ya and buy ya an Irish.

I miss them too. I'm always working till 6-7 on Mondays and Wednesdays or out on the road. One of these days I'm gonna make it a point. Weird, but I ain't darkened their door in nearly 14-months. Dang.

[picasso]

Dean only reads scratch and sniff books.

[8timechamps]

Dean only reads scratch and sniff books.

Bull****!


He also really enjoys pop-up books!

[OU68]

Dean only reads scratch and sniff books.

And the girly magazines at that truck-stop at I35 & I40. :triumphant:

[Lott's Bandana]

I miss them too. I'm always working till 6-7 on Mondays and Wednesdays or out on the road. One of these days I'm gonna make it a point. Weird, but I ain't darkened their door in nearly 14-months. Dang.

Cathy said make sure it's Thursday - Monday...her days.

[olevetonahill]

Heh, Just stated a Book by a relatively new author Rilla Askew. Her family is from down in this neck of the woods Latimer county mostly I believe.
Im sure she is related in some way the now deceased Former Latime county sheriff Huey Askew. Some day I may tell the story of a few run ins I had with him back in 69/70. Suffice it to say He prolly coulda shot me and been cleared of any charges :sneakiness:

Any way the Books Title is " Kind of Kin" and goes into a bit of detail about The Plight of jauns folk and the Anti immigration law that was passed back in 07/08?

Mentions a Lot of the little communities that Prolly only some one who lives/lived here would know.

Im enjoying it so far.

[StoopTroup]

The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton. No, I do not intend to become a monk.

I've heard of the book. A very old book by American Standards. I've never read it but in reading the Wiki description...it kind of reminds me of my conversion attempts with SicEm today. :wink:

[StoopTroup]

It's kind of funny. I used to want to go everywhere and see everything. As a kid, I lived in France and we visited pretty much every country in Europe except Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. I've been all over Mexico, Panama, and several Caribbean islands. As I've gotten older I just don't care that much about it anymore. I still wanna do the Ireland/England/Scotland trifecta - but only in some kind of pub tour/bed and breakfast deal that I plan myself. No tours. Ever.

No interest in Australia/New Zealand anymore. DGAS at all about Hawaii, and I still have a couple states here that I haven't visited (Vermont, North Dakota, Montana). Of course none of this has anything to do with reading a book, but now seems as good a time as any to jack the thread.

When Dad and I did a 16 day tour of Ireland....we made friends with our Driver. He was really into Video back then. Looking back I now realize why I was searched so thoroughly when I showed up at Shannon Airport with $5,000 worth of brand new video equipment. They must have thought I was gonna do some sort of deal with him for all the equipment. When I left the Country two weeks later, they made sure I took it back to America.

Thing is....in getting to know him, we got some great connections in how to go it like you are wanting to when you go. After that first trip...I can see how we could have made some really bad mistakes by taking Stateside Advice about a trip there without a Tour. I think the best advice would be to just make sure you don't set the bar to high and just enjoy the trip every moment and try to stick to the local pubs where the Locals won't get to upset you are there.

If you decide to go to Northern Ireland during the trip....be sure to take it easy when they are checking you at the Border. They seemed a bit jumpy about Americans crossing the Border in the middle of the Country. We went across to see the Beleek Factory where they make the really beautiful translucent pottery.

http://www.cassidyclan.org/images/Belleek2.jpg

[KantoSooner]

"Arguably", by Christopher Hitchens. One of the clearest and best spoken of those opposing totalitarianism in all its forms. Following the connections his mind makes is pure joy.

"The Empire of the Steppes" by some French academic from the 1930's. Fantastic total history of the Mongols and their predecessors in only 1500 or so pages. You'll know more than you ever wanted to about the Hsiung Nu people and why the Koreans planted sticker bushes across their entire border with China.

"The Whisky Rebels", a fun historical fiction set in the aftermath of the revolution and the lead in to the Whisky Rebellion.

[jk the sooner fan]

i'm almost done with this
http://25.media.tumblr.com/58ec0eee067fb12506181256aff9073c/tumblr_mfknt3oRWE1r4gycro1_400.jpg

this is next
http://images.betterworldbooks.com/006/Three-Roads-to-the-Alamo-9780060930943.jpg

[C&CDean]

Too serious Jon. Weave you a little Potter in there and you'd be better rounded...heh.

[jk the sooner fan]

my stomach is plenty round - although i'm working on that too

i really enjoy the history stuff - to me its fascinating to read about the men that shaped this country - their personal lives - etc etc

i havent read fiction in several years.....and that Three Roads to the Alamo is about the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis - and how messy they were in their lives before the Alamo...all three of them weren't what you'd consider "great men" until they were beatified later

[C&CDean]

my stomach is plenty round - although i'm working on that too

i really enjoy the history stuff - to me its fascinating to read about the men that shaped this country - their personal lives - etc etc

i havent read fiction in several years.....and that Three Roads to the Alamo is about the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis - and how messy they were in their lives before the Alamo...all three of them weren't what you'd consider "great men" until they were beatified later

I always have a hard time with non-fiction because a lot of times it isn't - non-fiction that is. I've read accounts of history written by different authors that are totally different. Especially if they're drilling down to motive and the like. I prefer a rip-roaring yarn that entertains greatly. Different strokes and all.

[KantoSooner]

Almost any writer is going to have biases, some may even be subconcious, but they're there. The one on the Mongols I mentioned above is interesting in that regard. The author was borderline nazi in some of the things he concluded; which is not surprising considering that he was writing in the mid-1930's when national socialism was kind of cool among certain of the literati.

You just have to read more about historical events to get a better grip on things. And, if you can, read authors from different countries. The Thai perspective on WWII is kind of interesting as is their take on a little border war they fought with the French (they mopped the French up almost as badly as the Germans did. Amusing.) for example.

I'm way too slow to read foreign language texts in the original, but there are typically translation available...even though then you you've got the translator's bias to factor in.

I just fine it fascinating to dig into things/events we think we know about. Sometimes you find out it was very different than what we thought we knew.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

my stomach is plenty round - although i'm working on that too

i really enjoy the history stuff - to me its fascinating to read about the men that shaped this country - their personal lives - etc etc

i havent read fiction in several years.....and that Three Roads to the Alamo is about the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis - and how messy they were in their lives before the Alamo...all three of them weren't what you'd consider "great men" until they were beatified later

If you want to get there fast try Insanity.

I envy people who can read non-fiction. I took a bunch of extra history classes at OU because of exactly the same reason you stated. After reading 80 historical texts in college on imperial Russia, colonial America, the fertile crescent and the yucatan peninsula Non Fiction puts me right to sleep. It takes me weeks to get through coding books for work its so bad. So most of the time, I just read the abbreviated wiki on the subject ;).

Although I am contemplating reading something on Stephen Decatur. That guy's life was crazy.

[KantoSooner]

jkm, Try something by __________ Mann (Charles? I forget). He wrote 1491 and 1493. He is a fantastic synthesizer of other people's research. 1491 is the better of the two. Reads like an extended National Geographic article except you actually wander out of the deal having absorbed quite a bit of state of the art anthropology.
Really a gifted author.

Likewise, Salman Rushdie's 'Shame' will background you on Pakistan and does so in an extremely pleasant way. Rushdie is likely the greatest living writer of the English language and it's fantastic to watch how he bends a phrase.