Reading any good books lately?

[rxkeith]

band of brothers by stephen ambrose


keith

[FatBeeFarm]

Squee! The only thing I like more than growing tomatoes is reading books! So many happy memories looking at the preceding posts. I was once a top 500 reviewer on Amazon simply for my book reviews but that was nearly 20 years ago. So to everyone who mentioned Bernard Cornwell: I guess he's one of my favorites, if not my favorite, because I've read more of his books than any other writer. But I've read everything he has written and he has written a lot of books, lol, so that's not too surprising. The Saxon tales and Sharpe series are two of my top five series in over 50 years of reading. I'm reading the most recent Sharpe novel that came out right now actually. Jack Reacher is also good, in a popcorn/beach-read fun kind of way. Aubrey Maturin is fantastic and so is the Abel Jones series by Owen Parry (US Civil War). I think my Favorite Book Series ever is the Rome series by Colleen McCullough. I've read it twice, and will read it again before I die. If I was trapped on a desert island on could only have one book series it would be this. Also set in Rome: the Under the Eagle series by Simon Scarrow. Super good stuff. In contemporary fiction I recommend anything by James Lee Burke (writes breath-catchingly beautiful sentences), Don Winslow (simply incredible writing), Tony Hillerman, and Robert Crais. In Sci-Fi/Fantasy I can't say enough good things about Jade War by Fonda Lee, and also Robert Jackson Bennett. Of course the masters, JRR Tolkien and GRR Martin have to be read and are simply superlative, but if you like any of the above authors and like sci-fi/Fantasy then I would say read Joe Abercrombie (The First Law of Kings). Holy moly, no one does more memorable characters or a better story arc then Joe Abercrombie. The guy is just perfect for razor sharp plotting and sticking the ending. Ahhh, I could go on for much longer but will shut up now. If anyone else is a book fiend and wants to connect on Goodreads just PM me. I've got 50 years of reading recommendations all pent up and love discovering new authors who give the masters a run for their money.

[FatBeeFarm]

I always like to have a book going. Recently I finished James by Percival Everett. It's a reimagining of Huck Finn from Jim's point of view. An absolutely fantastic read. I finished it in 2 days because every time I would set it down I could not wait to get back into that world.

It follows Jim and Huck's river journey for the first 100 pages or so but then when they separate it tells the story of what happens to Jim. It also throws a twist into the story that caught me by surprise.

Great book that I would highly recommend.

Anyone else read anything good recently?

I'm going to read this next Omar, thank you for the recommendation! I can't wait to get into this one.

[FatBeeFarm]

With more than 200 titles in Kindle, most of them British police procedurals, I am going through them book by book...for the second time plus adding any newly written books by the authors already in place.

As a science fiction reader and writer one I have never read is Neuromancer by Gibson. That is my current nighttime book. To tell the truth, this supposed classic has been putting me to sleep early every night I give it a try. If tonight's read doesn't pick up the pace, that's it, back to some good story telling.

We also enjoyed the Joe Pickett novels and actually the TV series was not so bad. At least the new Reacher series has Jack as the books depict. Wasn't there a movie that had the 6'6" 250 pound guy played by a 5'6" 140 pounder? I really dislike the political correctness displayed by Hollywood in their casting. If I ever write a story picked up by the movies I hope my characters are at least a little like in the story...maybe money will talk louder than my convictions.

A sci-fi writer? Is there anything I can purchase somewhere and read?

[FatBeeFarm]

The only movies I've seen that are about comparable to the books are the Hunger Game books. If you read them...and I'm not advising it...seemed to me the movies covered about every paragraph in the books. Like the books were written for 7th grade reading level... by a 10th grader! When they made the movies they shot every scene... I mean, I'm sure there were some changes, but the books were Very Simple.

Speaking of hunger games, I recently read a Heinlein book that had both stargates and the hunger games in it...but much better and more believable. Written way back in the 50s. So many books/shows that I thought were original ideas, I now see were derivative/lifted. One thing Heinlein overlooked was texting - typing to communicate on your carry device, instead of audio or video. But hey, I don't get texting either. Who knew people would want to stare and type at a little screen?

Heinlein, Clifford D Simak, L. Sprague De Camp, Poul Anderson, A. E. van Vogt, and Joe Haldeman. The legends of my childhood

[FatBeeFarm]

i read the river of doubt. agree it was a good book. what a torturous venture that was.
i have gravitated to history. andrew jackson is up in a box waiting to be read. that should be
a good read. he was pretty influential. my thinking is in order to understand where you are at,
you need to understand where you started from. you can apply that statement to many different
topics.


keith

River of Doubt was a freaking AWESOME book!!! Mind-blowing. Before you read it you just have no idea. How is this story not better known? Why can't we still have Teddy Roosevelt as president? Most awesome dude ever to become president. Yeah Washington and Lincoln, but they didn't take a bullet and then go on to give a stump speech anyway. Teddy Roosevelt was badder than Uhtred and Jack Reacher combined and he was real!

[JRinPA]

I Wonder if heinlein was even in our school libraries. I guess I was reading Clancy by 7th or 8th grade. And Crichton. But I didn't get him out of library I bought them at zern's at the used book store. zerns was a huge fri sat Farmers Market.

[Paulf]

With more than 200 titles in Kindle, most of them British police procedurals, I am going through them book by book...for the second time plus adding any newly written books by the authors already in place.

As a science fiction reader and writer one I have never read is Neuromancer by Gibson. That is my current nighttime book. To tell the truth, this supposed classic has been putting me to sleep early every night I give it a try. If tonight's read doesn't pick up the pace, that's it, back to some good story telling.

We also enjoyed the Joe Pickett novels and actually the TV series was not so bad. At least the new Reacher series has Jack as the books depict. Wasn't there a movie that had the 6'6" 250 pound guy played by a 5'6" 140 pounder? I really dislike the political correctness displayed by Hollywood in their casting. If I ever write a story picked up by the movies I hope my characters are at least a little like in the story...maybe money will talk louder than my convictions.

A sci-fi writer? Is there anything I can purchase somewhere and read?

A whole bunch of submissions and no publication...but I just keep on writing.

[OmarLittle]

About halfway through The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey. It's a novel told from the point of view of a Magpie who was rescued as a chick and raised in the home of a woman in an abusive relationship with her husband. The Magpie then becomes Internet famous as the woman posts pictures and videos of the bird online.

I know this sounds like a ridiculous premise for a book, but it's actually a really good novel.

[Kurt]

https://thelocalpalate.com/articles/gul ... y-meggett/

For the hop n John lovers

[OmarLittle]

About halfway through Chain Gang All-Stars. It's a dystopian novel about a future where the government basically brings back gladiators. With prisoners fighting to the death and can win their freedom of they survive for 3'years. It is also a clear critique of the justice system and prison system.

Excellent book that I'm enjoying