If you haven't read The Martian yet, do it.

Started reading again and it feels great! I have been busting through some classics that I have never done before, certainly not the sci-fi or fantasy genre.

Dune- Herbert: A-
Slaughterhouse Five: B
Cats Cradle: A
Eye of the World: B+
The Great Hunt: B+
The Dragon Reborn: A+
The Shadow Rising: A
The Fires of Heaven: B+
Lord of Chaos: C (that ending though)

Really enjoying some of the classics these last few months. Can't wait to finish this series and start on some of the other suggestions in this thread!

You're going through some of my favorite books.

If the Dune read was enjoyable for you, I'd recommend finishing out the original series by Frank Hebert.

My father and I read Dune at the same time. I had encouraged him to so we could have our own little book discussion when we talked, it made the experience that much more special.

He has continued on with the series and loves it. I'm sure I'll make my way back to it as well. You have to leave something to look forward to right?!

After finishing the Joe Abercrombie First Law trilogy (B), I picked up Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King on audio book as read by Will Patten, and I absolutely could not stop listening. Very solid A grade there. I've jumped right into the 2nd book, Finders Keepers, and find myself equally enthralled. These are detective books, so not your typical King fair. Highly recommend the first book, and probably the second ifloor the first third is any indication.

I'm thrilled as heck to discover the new free books program for Amazon Prime. Tons of books now available for "free" for Prime members.

Update:
18) Tad Williams' "Sleeping Late on Judgement Day" 3rd book in Bobby Dollar trilogy. The trilogy was a really fun read. A sarcastic kick ass blue collar angel taking on the heaven/hell establishment with some angel/demon sex added in. What's not to love. (A-)

Next: Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken". I like to mix my genres

techno-ag said:

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I'm thrilled as heck to discover the new free books program for Amazon Prime. Tons of books now available for "free" for Prime members.

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How do you use that? Just from the regular website or is there a special link or app? Thanks!

Old Jock 1997 said:

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How do you use that? Just from the regular website or is there a special link or app? Thanks!

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Just login to Amazon. If you're a Prime member, you can download 10 Prime books at a time. I typically search through selections on my Kindle app rather than the site.

Finished the third book in King's Mr. Mercedes trilogy. Really, very excellent. I highly recommend them.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
The Revenant by Michael Punke
Inferno by Dan Brown
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling et al.
My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Transmission by Hari Kunzru
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Small Island by Andrea Levy

Currently reading: A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan and Open City by Teju Cole

Mostly been working through the Wheel of Time and reading books for my ENGL class. I've been listening to the WoT audiobooks. They're good, but I move a lot slower when I'm just listening in the car. I think it'll help to have them during the slow middle books, however. Should be getting to those right about now, IIRC.

Spent an evening on the new HP play. It was alright, I guess. I liked the first half better than the second by a long shot. The story was pretty meh, but I enjoyed getting to read a new HP story so much that I pretty much gave it a pass for all its flaws.

When I've actually had time to sit down and read, my time has been devoted to the last few books on the list. That's what I get for signing up for a literature class, I guess. They're not my preferred genre or anything, but they're interesting enough. Cloud Atlas was the coolest and probably my favorite, though it might not be the most well-written of the assigned books.

Still on a WoT kick, so I'll probably keep reading those. After that I'll probably find another fantasy series to re-read. Maybe Rothfuss or something.

Took me a long while but I finally finished Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons (I tried reading them concurrently...) in time to catch up with the show before the new season started. Now i join the masses waiting on Winds of Winter.

Got a kindle for my birthday in August, since then:
Call of the wild
Lost World (Doyle not Crichton. Will do Crichton's next)
Red Rising trilogy
-Red Rising
-Golden Son
-Morning Star (1/3 through)

Birdman by Mo Hayder: B+
First book in an English detective series. Good mystery but the crimes were fairly graphic.

Still reading:
The time it never rained

I've really embraced my Audible subscription this year:

• The Clockwork Universe - Edward Dolnick
• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing
• Fear Saga (3 Books: Sky, Survivors, Future)- Stephen Moss
- Really think this series will head to theaters eventually, great stuff

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Alan Dean Foster
• Sleeping Giants - Sylvain Neuvel
• The Everything Box - Richard Kadrey
• The Winter Fortress - Neal Bascomb
• The Short Drop - Matthew Fitzsimmons
• Thirteen - Henry Cooper
• The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
• The Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien
• The Inner Circle - Brad Meltzer

Currently tearing through the Odyssey One series (Evan Currie), on book 3 now. Decent mil/sci-fi stuff. Long commutes and lots of travel make short work of these.

Edit to add the current cart for future:

• The Partly Cloudy Patriot - Sarah Vowell
• Light Falls - Brian Greene
• The Glorious Cause (American Revolution 1763-1789) - Robert Middlekauff
• A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a *****- Mark Manson

Anybody else trying out Kindle Unlimited? It's an all you can read buffet for 9.95/mo. Mostly independent stuff, but some good books in there. Got to pay attention to the reviews.

Also discovered Kindle Scout. Authors submit their books and if they win they get a publishing contract. If one you voted for wins, you get a copy. I've gotten some good free books that way.

Update
19) Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken". Really good book. What a life. Still haven't seen movie, but will have too now, (A)

20) Robert R. McCammon's " Boy's Life". Was not the horror novel I was expecting. More of a small southern town coming of age novel set in early 1960s. It was interesting to me as I was born in 1960 and could relate some what. (B)

Next: Neal Stephenson's "Anathem".

The movie is good, but it pales in comparison to the book. You just can't squeeze so much detail and emotion into 2.5 hours.

Ain't that always the case? Rare for a movie to outdo a book. Only a few like Godfather and Jaws can pull it off.

The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout: B+

Listen to the audiobook. I liked it, but felt it was missing something, not quite sure what.

I'm reading devil in the white city and I just can't get into it. I typically like Erik Larson and have enjoyed his other books but this one just isn't doing it for me.

I'm still slowly making my way through my Pulitzer list. I finished the 1968 winner "Confessions of Nat Turner" by William Styron. I'd give it a 4/5.

Now I'm starting the 1969 winner "House Made of Dawn" by M. Scott Momaday.

Nuremberg Diary by GW Gilbert: B-
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: A
One Second After* by William Forstchen: B
The Making of Star Wars by JW Rinzler: A+





*Probably the scariest book I've ever read

techno-ag said:

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Anybody else trying out Kindle Unlimited? It's an all you can read buffet for 9.95/mo. Mostly independent stuff, but some good books in there. Got to pay attention to the reviews.

Also discovered Kindle Scout. Authors submit their books and if they win they get a publishing contract. If one you voted for wins, you get a copy. I've gotten some good free books that way.

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Been using it for at least a year. Plenty of junk, but have found many good reads. Many I have gone back and bought just to try and support the author.

Update:
1) Neal Stephenson's "Seveneves" (B+)
2) Salman Rushdie's memoir "Joseph Anton" (A-)
3) Laurie R King's "The Bones of Paris" (B)
4) Tad Williams' "The Dirty Streets of Heaven" (A-)
5) Brian Kilmeade / Don Yaeger's "Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates" (B-)
6) Tad Williams' "Happy Hour in Hell". Volume 2 of trilogy (B+)
7) Joseph Kanon's "Stardust" (B+)
8) Justin Cronin's "The City of Mirrors" Vol 3 of trilogy (A+)
9) Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" (A-)
10) Clinton L. Smith's "The Boy Captives" (B+)
11) Daniel Suarez's "Daemon" (B)
12) Erik Larson's "Isaac's Storm" (B+)
13) Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" (A-)
14) Joe R. Lansdale's "Paradise Sky" (A)
15) Ransom Rigg's "Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children"(B+)
16) Caleb Carr's "Surrender, New York" (B)
17) Ransom Rigg's "Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children" (B)
18) Tad Williams' "Sleeping Late on Judgement Day" (A-)
19) Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" (A)
20) Robert R. McCammon's " Boy's Life" (B)
21) Neal Stephenson's "Anathem" At times a little too Sci-fi for me in detail, but worth the work.(B+)

First book of 2017 will be Anne Rice's latest "Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis". What can I say, her vampire books have been my guilty pleasure since I read "interview with a Vampire" when I was a student at A&M.

I just finished The Name of the Wind and The. Wise Man's Fear from the Kingkiller series. They were fantastic - the world that Rothfuss has created is just incredible.

Who knows when he'll get around to releasing the finale.

Memory Man by David Baldacci - C+, the plot was okay, but the idea that the main character has hyperthymesia (near perfect memory) is a bit much

Books I've finished in 2016(mostly fantasy):

*Most recent to least...*

Reign of Madness(Kings Dark Tidings #2) -Kel Kade
Free the Darkness(Kings Dark Tidness #1) - Kel Kade
Wolf of the North - Duncan Hamilton
Elantris - Brandon Sanderson(Top 2 favorite authors)
The Lance(The project #2) - Alex Lukeman *not fantasy*
White Jade(The project #1) - Alex Lukeman *not fantasy*
Beyond the Shadows(Night Angel #3) - Brent Weeks
Shadows Edge(Night Angel #2) - Brent Weeks
The Way of Shadows(Night Angel #1) - Brent Weeks
The Last Mortal Bond(Chronical Of the Unhewn Throne #3) - Brian Staveley
The Providence of Fire(Chronical Of the Unhewn Throne #2) - Brian Staveley
The Emperors Blades(Chronical Of the Unhewn Throne #1) - Brian Staveley
City of Blades(The Divine Cities) - Robert Jackson Bennett
City of Stairs(The Divine Cities) - Robert Jackson Bennett

Some are better than others but all are worth reading. I was in a mood for mindless sword/magic action books this year.

Just finished Alas, Babylon...audiobook read by Will Patton....excellent!

Any other suggestions of books in this genre?

On The Beach is another post-nuclear war classic. Very good.

One Second After and One Year After by Forstchen (sp) are also really good.

Thanks! Didn't realize One Second After had another follow up(which I enjoyed also)..I will try both.