What book are you reading now?

I'm 200 or so pages into Pirate Latitudes by my fave author, Michael Crichton. Latitudes is of course, his last full novel ( his people are going to find a writer to finish a partly done manuscript found on his computer after his death) and is in the style of The Great Train Robbery. A historicaly set novel featuring real places (and people, at least in Train's case.) but fictitious happenings. It's a great read, a real page turner, though the fact that I only have a hundred pages to go makes me sad. I wish his last book (again, basically last book) could have been ten thousand pages.


ALso, I finished recently the Patricia Cornwall non fiction book about the artist Walter Sickert being Jack The Ripper. Apparently, alot of people are mad about her claims, but they seem to be either people who have devoted their life to studying the artist, or so called "Ripperologist." Well obviously Ripperologist don't want Jack The Ripper's identity to be discovered. They would then have to go get real jobs. I have to say, the evidence Ms. Cornwall puts forth in her book has certainly made me a believer, looking at Sickerts paintings alone were enough to sway me. Even if he wasn't the Ripper, something was very, very wrong with the man. That said, Cornwall comes off as an insufferable bitch, and her holier than thou attitude has ensured I will never purchase and read one of her fiction books. Another thing is the amount of hipocracy included in the book. She bitches more than once about her hatred of other people who have studied the Ripper case in calling their suspect the definitive Ripper, and saying they solved the case and the such. She argues in the text this should never be said, yet sub titles her book Case Closed. Ugh.

^^ Always good to see a Crichton fan! Yet to pick up Pirate Latitudes, but have heard some very good things.

I'm currently reading The Bob Dylan scrapbook 1956-1966

It's great dude, Crichton at his best, it's smart, without being inaccesible. I always loved how he could write fun, easy reads, that offered mounds of depth and discussion starters if that's what one was inclined to enjoy. Unlike say, Dan Brown, who in my opinion writes to speak to the lowest common denominator. I only read The Davinci Code, but god, it was so... stupid, I struggled to get through it. Crichton does a crazy amount of research, and you can manage to learn a great deal over the course of an entertaining page turner. Shit, Sphere still leaves me up at night, pondering our universe.

Sphere is a masterpiece. Prey was the first of his I read, never looked back since

Jurassic Park was mine, back when I was nine. I loved the movie (which came out the day after my eigth birthday!) and got in that way.

I'm currently reading Horus Rising by Dan Abnett and The Space Wolf Omnibus by William King.
I figured I'd give the Expanded Universe a rest for a bit and jump back into Warhammer stories! I gotta say, Dan Abnett writes some of the absolute best science fiction I've ever had the pleasure of reading!

Thundermatts wrote:ALso, I finished recently the Patricia Cornwall non fiction book about the artist Walter Sickert being Jack The Ripper. Apparently, alot of people are mad about her claims, but they seem to be either people who have devoted their life to studying the artist, or so called "Ripperologist." Well obviously Ripperologist don't want Jack The Ripper's identity to be discovered. They would then have to go get real jobs. I have to say, the evidence Ms. Cornwall puts forth in her book has certainly made me a believer, looking at Sickerts paintings alone were enough to sway me. Even if he wasn't the Ripper, something was very, very wrong with the man. That said, Cornwall comes off as an insufferable bitch, and her holier than thou attitude has ensured I will never purchase and read one of her fiction books. Another thing is the amount of hipocracy included in the book. She bitches more than once about her hatred of other people who have studied the Ripper case in calling their suspect the definitive Ripper, and saying they solved the case and the such. She argues in the text this should never be said, yet sub titles her book Case Closed. Ugh.

I read one of her fiction books (Blow Fly). It wasn't bad, but I've read better mystery books.

I am currently reading "Through Stone and Sea" by Barb and J.C. Hendee, its the 2nd book in series 2 of the Noble Dead Saga, or the 8th book in the entire series. The series is good I recommend it.

One of my co-workers just brought me a few books out of his collection to read.

"Tros of Samothrace: Helma" and "Tros of Samothrace: Tros"

They're fantasy books about a pirate adventurer written back in the 1920s. Hopefully they'll be worth the effort of turning old yellow pages.

Just finished the third Darth Bane book.

I need to find more stuff by this author, he has a lot of sub plots that he weaves through the story , but unlike molst people he ends them all satisfactorily.

Finished Fury of the Star Wars Legacy novels, two left to go lol!

Just started:

Death by Black Hole by Neil Degrasse Tyson

Though I bought it months ago when it first came out, I only now started to read Bill Willingham's Peter & Max. I polished off 150 pages upon first picking it up, which has only happened with maybe two other books I've read. I'm digging it.

Just started reading it.

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

This is the third book in the First Law Trilogy.

When I first started reading this series it took me forever to get into first book, it was a tad slow, none of the characters were particularly likeable, and while there were moments where I found myself drawn into what was going on, I found myself putting the book down and grabbing something else to read.

Then about three months after I had purchased it I sat down and made a concerted effort to get through the first book, if I pay for a book I'll be damned if I don't finish it. The first couple of days were as unlikeable as I remembered and I'd only get through a chapter or two.

Then I got to part two of the book, around the half way point, and I have to say it completely changed my mind on the series. Once most of the main characters meet up and start interacting with each other you get drawn into the story more and more.

Again, none of the main characters are particularly likeable, but as a group they just work. Every one of them is a miserable bastard, they dislike one another, but they do have a common purpose and just enough strings attached to them to keep it together. One character does actually grow as a person thanks to some rather brutal trauma, but the rest of the characters remain pretty much as they are through the whole series, they do make some small compromises, but it's not enough to call it anything past basic civility towards one another.

This third book starts out after an unsuccessful quest and the group breaks up, which had me worried as I didn't really like the first book until all of them were together, but Abercrombie proved me wrong. He sends them all scattering to the wind, most to face their pasts and react to them as the "changed" people they have become. Needless to say, there's a whole lot of blood shed, back stabbing, intrigue, and more than a few surprises thrown in. I've only got about a 1/4 of the book left to finish, but this looks like it's headed for a train wreck of a conclusion.

The reason this series works so well is the dynamic of all of the characters, they are honestly written, no one is overly heroic, or if they are there's usually a selfish reason behind what they're doing. The dialogue is gritty, all of the characters seem to have a pretty good grasp on how to hurl profanity about. In all honesty, even towards the end of this series I don't know if the characters I've been following are really the good guys, sure you see things through their point of view so you assume that they're the ones in the right, but about half way through this book some rather disturbing facts come to light that make you wonder if the world that Abercrombie has created wouldn't be better off without the majority of them in it.

I highly recommend this series, it's brutal, unforgiving, and just plain fun, you might have a little trouble with the introduction of the main characters, but once you get past that and things begin to roll this series will draw you in and won't let go until you've gotten to the end.

I'm reading heat wave by Richard castle.

It's the castle tie in book to the show. It's pretty good so
far.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. started off a bit slow but its starting to pick up now.

I am only ONE book away from having the complete Oz series as written by L. Frank Baum. I know that sounds crazy, but I'm very excited to have all fourteen in pressings that resemble their original production copies. (The Books of Wonder people reprinted the books using the same (or similar) plates used to print the originals.)

However, the one book I'm missing looks like it's going to be a real pain in the ass to try and get in.

I just read "Blankets" by Craig Thompson. I thought it had beautiful art and story. It was a pretty relatable story, and just very touching over all. I recommend reading it.

CompTIA A+ Certification for Dummies

superdoug wrote:I am only ONE book away from having the complete Oz series as written by L. Frank Baum. I know that sounds crazy, but I'm very excited to have all fourteen in pressings that resemble their original production copies. (The Books of Wonder people reprinted the books using the same (or similar) plates used to print the originals.)

However, the one book I'm missing looks like it's going to be a real pain in the ass to try and get in.

not that crazy that's awesome.

when you get done with the baum books are going to read the
ruth blumey thompson ones too?

kidspider2099 wrote:not that crazy that's awesome.

when you get done with the baum books are going to read the
ruth blumey thompson ones too?

I have a fourteen-in-one volume of Thompson's Oz stories, but frankly, they lack something when held up against Baum's stories. I've read books by other Oz authors (Eric Shanower has a couple of great ones outside of the graphic novels), but they don't really seem to keep the feel of Baum's works.

My next goal is to find hardcover versions of Baum's Trot and Cap'n Bill stories, as well as his other fairy stories (Queen Xixi of Ix and The Magical Monarch of Mo).

If it's not apparent, I'm a huge fan of Baum.

I finally got around to finishing World War Z by Max Brooks and absolutely loved it!



It was like no other zombie work I've read, I HIGHLY recommend it. Can't wait to see how it'll be adapted to film. And I think I'll check out the audio book a few of you suggested too.

superdoug wrote:I am only ONE book away from having the complete Oz series as written by L. Frank Baum.

I've always wanted to read those.

SexyToaster wrote:I just read "Blankets" by Craig Thompson.

I adore that book. Glad you dug it.