I've been reading outlander for what seems like months. I had high expectations. Slow, boring read imo

- Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson
- The Real Price of Everything by Michael Lewis
- Hesitation Leads to Masterbation by Jack Dalton
- 100 Things Every Texas A&M Fan Should Know & Do Before They Die by Rusty Burson

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Currently reading Devil in the White City. Loving the HH Holmes portion... but the portions of the architecture for the Chicago World Fair is kind of a snooze. But who doesn't love a good (and true) serial killer story!?

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Read that. Hard to believe it is true

1) Completed the biography of Winston Churchill trilogy started by William Manchester and last volume completed by Paul Reid. "The Last Lion William Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm 1940 - 1965". (A)

2) Anne Rice's "Prince Lestat". Hooked on the series in the 80s and 90s so enjoyed the nostalgic bringing together of all the characters from the previous books. While overall not enough meat to the story, can see the book as a set up for future story lines. (B)

Next: Jeff Shaara's "The Smoke at Dawn". Civil War - Western Theater

So far this year I've read:

1) Andersonville - MacKinlay Kantor 3/5
2) A Death in the Family - James Agee 3/5
3) The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters - Robert Louis Taylor 4/5 (Very enjoyable read. Think Tom Sawyer meets Holden Caulfield.)

It feels nice to put the 1950's to rest in my Pulitzer Fiction journey.

I'm about to read Advise and Consent by Allen Drury.

Advise and Consent is one of my favorites. Of course that was before I got all cynical.

1 & 2) "Lirael" and "Abhorsen" which arefinal two books of the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix: http://oldkingdom.com.au/. Pretty good young adult fantasy series withan interesting approach to magic and Life/Death. There's a prequel I'll probably tackle at some point.

3 & 4) Finished up the 1st Percy Jackson series reading books 4 and 5. Nice fantasy series (based on Greek Mythology) for young readers and this adult enjoyed them as well. It's a goodseries for parents to read as a way to connect with their kids. Looking forward to watching the movie(s) at some point.

5 & 6) "Gathering Blue" and "Messenger" which are the middle books of Lois Lowry's "The Giver" quartet. While I wasn't as high on the "The Giver" as most people were I wantedto continue the series because I did enjoy it and I had hopes of getting some more answers. I did get some satisfyinganswers but still felt like there is a lot of interesting story she's leaving on the table. Hope to finish the seriesby reading "Son" this week.

7) A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. I'm not a big fan of feminist literature but had to read this one for class. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Woolf does have some interesting insights about female creativity in the early 20th century.

8) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This one is children's literature but I would put it in on the higher end of that age range. Creative story about a little boy named Nobody Owens (Bod) who is raised by ghosts in a cemetery when his family is killed. Like a lot of books for this age group, It's a story about growing up and finding one's place in the world. Real world setting sprinkled with some fantasy elements. Enjoyed this one quite a bit.

9) The Princess and the Goblin by George McDonald

The Way of Kings - A+ fantastic beginning of a great fantasy series (The Stormlight Archive). loving it.

Words of Radiance - A 2nd in Stormlight Archive. seriously awesome.

Mistborn Trilogy - A- great series, awesome magic setup and great characters.

Off to be the Wizard B- fun read, went thru it on a lazy sunday.

The End - Ian Kershaw
Augustus - Adrian Goldsworthy

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Just started A Feast for Crows.

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I'm sorry. Definitely the weakest of the 5.

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Yep, and the hardest to get through so far. It's like I hit a brick wall.

1. Blood Rites (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
2. Dead Beat (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
3. Proven Guilty (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
4. White Night (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
5. Small Favor (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher

Been doing the audiobooks but started actually reading pieces myself with Small Favor because I became impatient and am constantly being reminded how freaking much I love this book series.

"I want you," I said, "to get me a doughnut. A real, genuine, Chicago doughnut. Not some glamoured doughnut. An actual one. Freshly made."
The Gruff's teeth began to show as he smiled again.
He bowed his head to me. "Likest thou jelly within thy doughnut?"
"Nay, but prithee, with sprinkles 'pon it instead," I said solemnly, "and frosting of white."
"It could take some time to locate such a pastry," the Gruff said seriously.
I bowed my head to him. "I trust in the honor of Summer's champions that it will arrive in good time."

Never posted on here but I follow it and think it is interesting.

I listen to audiobooks on my commute every day, so I burn through them pretty quickly. This year I have gotten through quite a few...

1 - Someone could get hurt by Drew Magary - Pretty enjoyable but a lot more serious than I thought it would be. Basically just Drew (who is a writer for GQ and Deadspin) telling stories about how many times he has failed as a father.

2 - Off to be the wizard by Scott Meyer - Easily one of my favorite books I have read. About a kid who discovers that the world is just a computer program, and he learns how to manipulate the code to get what he wants. It is full of nerd-humor.

3 - Spell or highwater by Scott Meyer - Sequel to the book above. It isn't quite as funny, but still a good book. I plan to work through the third book, An Unwelcome Quest, soon.

4 - Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - I am a huge fan of Sanderson's Stormlight Archives books, so I figured I would give this a shot. Really enjoyable with a fun cast of characters. About Chicago whenever people start to get superhuman powers and go corrupt. It's an interesting idea that made a pretty cool book.

5 - Firefight by Sanderson - Sequel to Steelheart. Picks up right where the last book left off and tells a new story based in New York City. It was good but not as fun as Steelheart.

6 - Yes Please by Amy Poehler - Funny book that my wife and I burned through on a road trip. Just basically telling stories about being in Second City and on Saturday Night Live. It was an easy listen that made us both laugh.

7 - Bossypants by Tina Fey - another road trip book that we burned through quickly. Very similar to Yes Please. Probably not as enjoyable but it was fun to listen to and the wife enjoyed it.

8 - Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly - interesting historical timeline of Jesus' life. Doesn't get very religious at all and just talks about the events going on around him as he lived his life. Very interesting to listen to.

9 - The girl with all the gifts by M.R. Carey - really cool new take on an old genre. Hard to say much without giving away a cool plot point that is fun to figure out on your own. It was on a list of best Sci Fi for 2014, so I thought I would give it a shot. Definitely recommend for anyone into sci-fi or horror.

10 - Currently working through the Martian by Andy Weir - Holy crap I love this book. As an engineer, it is hard for me to stop listening when I get to work/home. I can't wait to finish it up.

Midnight Tides (#5 in Malazan) by Steven Erikson- A

IPO - Dean Koontz

Interesting storyline, though not the standard koontz stuff. Quick read

1. Blood Rites (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
2. Dead Beat (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
3. Proven Guilty (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
4. White Night (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
5. Small Favor (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
6. Turn Coat (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
7. Changes (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher

Changes is still just as epic as it was the first time I read it.

Update:
1) Completed the biography of Winston Churchill trilogy started by William Manchester and last volume completed by Paul Reid. "The Last Lion William Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm 1940 - 1965". (A)

2) Anne Rice's "Prince Lestat". (B)

3) Jeff Shaara's "The Smoke at Dawn". Civil War - Western Theater. As always Shaara does good job of following generals and fighting men. Interesting after reading books on Roman battles and Civil War battles it strikes you how little changed. Interesting read, but not one of his best. (B)

Next: Preston & Child's "Blue Labyrinth" Do enjoy Pendergast character.

Mr. Mercedes - stephen King.

Better than most of his stuff. Not the best but all around decent

In the Garden of Beasts - A- Had this one on my list for a while and finally finished it. Great at portraying the atmosphere of the time.

The Phantom Tollbooth - B- One of my favorites as a kid. As a children's book it's great, but loses a little of its luster as an adult. A quick read.

1. Blood Rites (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
2. Dead Beat (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
3. Proven Guilty (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
4. White Night (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
5. Small Favor (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
6. Turn Coat (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
7. Changes (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher
8. Ghost Story (Dresden Files Audiobook/Book) - Jim Butcher

Tried to do the audiobook, but it is the only one of the series not read by James Marsters... and it just didn't feel right to me.

As far as the book goes, much better than I remembered it the first time. Probably because I knew what to expect. The ending still gets at my allergies...

American Sniper . . . B+
The Dog Stars . . . A (one of the best books I've read in a while . . . A beautiful surprise)
The Shining . . . B (Kubrick actually made some improvements in the movie version of the story in my opinion)
I guess I'll have to check out these Dresden books . . .

I mix in books that I am reading before giving to nephew. I try to have an idea what I am giving him. The kids' books are graded compared to other kids' books

Read:
1) The Summoner by Layton Green - B-
2) The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell - A
3) A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan - B-
4) Blood Song by Anthony Ryan - A
5) The Thousand Names by Django Wexler - B+
6) The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper - F.mNeed to stop trusting Amazon reviews. Everything averages above 4 stars
7) Firefight by Brandon Sanderson - B. Not as good as Steelheart but good enough to keep me reading
8) The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler - B-. Same review as Firefight
9) Called by Robert J. Crane - D. Seriously, I need to stop trusting Amazon star ratings
10) Fablehaven by Brandon Mul - B- Passable kid book
11) The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan - C-
12) The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks - A
13) Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki - A
14) Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks - A
15) Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks - B
16) The Eye of God by James Rollins - B-. Either my interest has changed or the Sigma Force novels are losing steam
17) The Happiest Baby on the Block- B. A+ advice on how to soothe a newborn for new parents but it becomes too repetitive

Currently Reading
- A Feast For Crows and aA Dance with Dragons simultaneously. I am alternating to read the chapters in chronological order as recommended by allleathermustbrboiled.com. It has been 2-3 years so it is almost like reading it for the first time. I am also listening to the audible version when working out, driving, and working around the house. I don't like the narrator. He has little range in individual voices. He also pronounces "Damphair" as "Damfair"
- Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
- The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

On Deck
- Skin Game by Jim Butcher
- Half the World by Joe Abercrombie

1& 2) "Lirael" and"Abhorsen" which arefinal two books of the Old Kingdom series by
Garth Nix: http://oldkingdom.com.au/.Pretty good young adult fantasy series withan interesting approach to magic and
Life/Death. There's a prequel I'll probably tackle at some point.

3 & 4) Finished up the 1st Percy Jackson series reading books 4 and 5. Nice
fantasy series (based on Greek Mythology) for young readers and this adult
enjoyed them as well. It's a goodseries for parents to read as a way to connect
with their kids. Looking forward to watching the movie(s) at some point.

5 & 6) "Gathering Blue" and "Messenger" which are the
middle books of Lois Lowry's "The Giver" quartet. While I wasn't as
high on the "The Giver" as most people were I wantedto continue the
series because I did enjoy it and I had hopes of getting some more answers. I
did get some satisfying answers but still felt like there is a lot of
interesting story she's leaving on the table. Hope to finish the series by
reading "Son" this week.

7) A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. I'm not a big fan of feminist
literature but had to read this one for class. I enjoyed it more than I
expected to. Woolf does have some interesting insights about female creativity
in the early 20th century.

8) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This one is children's literature but I
would put it in on the higher end of that age range. Creative story about a
little boy named Nobody Owens (Bod) who is raised by ghosts in a cemetery when
his family is killed. Like a lot of books for this age group, It's a story
about growing up and finding one's place in the world. Real world setting
sprinkled with some fantasy elements. Enjoyed this one quite a bit.

9) The Princess and the Goblin by George McDonald
10) Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
11) Governess by Sarah Fielding
12) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
13) Underneath by Kathi Appelt. Great book written by an East Texas author andset in the Piney Woods. It's supposed tobe a children's book but I would say it's more appropriate for preteens.
14) Tom Sawyer re-read.
15) Son by Lowis Lowry. This finishes "TheGiver" series in a satisfying way. Iwould not have enjoyed the book "The Giver" without the three subsequent books
in the series.

Don't get your hopes up too much for the Percy Jackson movies. I think they are good kids movies but not as enjoyable for adults as the books were

I also just finished Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Trilogy. I thought it was pretty good, although the parts about Sameth in the second book seemed to just drag on for me. I'd give it a solid B, maybe a B+ if I'm feeling generous.

Also read "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" by Claire North. It's a story about a guy who is among a group of people scattered throughout history that repeatedly live their lives over and over again. Parts of it definitely reminded me of "Replay" by Ken Grimwood (which is both an awesome book and better than this one) but it did have a few original ideas. It was good, another B for this one.

Finally get to participate with these threads. I seemingly never had time to read before, but now with my tablet, and syncing across all devices, i have been plowing thru books one after another. This started late last year when i blew thru the Harry Potter series in about a month. Some of my list below may have been late last year, but since i travel a lot for work, i am able to get thru a decent amount quickly.

1) 1776- David McCullough - A -Loved it. I was almost shocked when i came to the end. I wanted to keep going. Made Washington very human and made me realize that i didnt know near the amount i thought i did about the American Revolution

2) In the Heart of the Sea-Nathaniel Philbrick- A Just a terrible event very well told. takes a little getting into, but just to read what these guys went thru, is just amazing. the real life inspiration for Moby Dick.

3) Inferno- Dan Brown- C- - Just typical dan brown. it was a quick read and i love some the research he puts in for locations and artwork, but much of the novel had me rolling my eyes.

4) Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell A - Just a great and harrowing story. i couldnt imagine losing my close friends the way he did.

5) American Sniper-Chris Kyle- A - An American Hero.

6) Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn B+ - What hasnt been said about this one? the ending just has you reeling and thinking about for days after.

7) Maze Runner trilogy- James Dashner B - First one was fantastic, give it an A. The 2nd and 3rd though a little less so, probably a B- and C+ respectively.. Great concept just something felt missing.

8) The Passage-Justin Cronin B - Took some getting into, but once going i really enjoyed it. great spin on the tired vampire/zombie concept.

9)Galveston-Nic Pizzolatto B - same guy that wrote HBOs True Detective. Very southern gothic, and has a very similar gothic type ending, but i found it well written.

10) Blood Meridian- Cormac McCarthy A+ - You have to like McCarthys style. if not, you will not enjoy this. it is difficult, "meaty" but is so well written and vivid, the end had me in awe.

11) Friday Night Lights-HG Bizzinger C- - Never read this in middle school/high school like so many did. I just couldnt get over his written style and politics. his tone just made it seem like he had this disdain for everything texas and texan.

The Long Walk - Richard Bachman*

thumbs up



* I never knew this was Stephen King. Yes, apparently I've been living under a rock.

"The Girl with All the Gifts" by M.R. Carey

Decent writing, story was a little repetitive (another post-apocalyptic zombie-ish story) but with a couple of new elements that made me stick with it.

Solid B.

So far:

1 miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, Ransom Riggs-A
2. Absolutely true diary of a part time indian, Sheman Alexie- B--
3. Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo- A
4. Dumplin', Julie Murphy-A+ (I know the author )

Up Next:
A reread of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
Beware the Wild, Natalie C Parker
Legend, Marie Lu
Reread of Mr Penumbra's 24 hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Noggin, John Corey Whaley

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7) Maze Runner trilogy- James Dashner B - First one was fantastic, give it an A. The 2nd and 3rd though a little less so, probably a B- and C+ respectively.. Great concept just something felt missing.

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I had this same feeling with Maze Runner. I felt like there was something missing -- like the whole story wasn't being told. I think I also gave it a B.

1& 2) "Lirael" and"Abhorsen" whicharefinal two books of the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix: http://oldkingdom.com.au/.Prettygood young adult fantasy series withan interesting approach to magic and Life/Death. There's a prequel I'll probably tackle at some point.

3 & 4) Finished up the 1st Percy Jackson series reading books 4 and 5. Nice fantasy series (based on Greek Mythology) for young readers and this adult enjoyed them as well. It's a goodseries for parents to read as a way to connect with their kids. Looking forward to watching the movie(s) at some point.

5 & 6) "Gathering Blue" and "Messenger" which are the middle books of Lois Lowry's "The Giver" quartet. While I wasn't as high on the "The Giver" as most people were I wantedto continue the series because I did enjoy it and I had hopes of getting some more answers. I did get some satisfying answers but still felt like there is a lot of interesting story she's leaving on the table. Hope to finish the series by reading "Son" this week.

7) A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. I'm not a big fan of feminist literature but had to read this one for class. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Woolf does have some interesting insights about female creativity in the early 20th century.

8) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This one is children's literature but I would put it in on the higher end of that age range. Creative story about a little boy named Nobody Owens (Bod) who is raised by ghosts in a cemetery when his family is killed. Like a lot of books for this age group, It's a story
about growing up and finding one's place in the world. Real world setting sprinkled with some fantasy elements. Enjoyed this one quite a bit.

9) The Princess and the Goblin by George McDonald
10) Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
11) Governess by Sarah Fielding
12) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (re-read)

13) Underneath by Kathi Appelt. Great book written by an East Texas author and set in the Piney Woods. It's supposed tobe a children's book but I would say it's more appropriate for preteens.

14) Tom Sawyer re-read.

15) Son by Lowis Lowry. This finishes "TheGiver" series in a satisfying way. Iwould not have enjoyed the book "The Giver" without the three subsequent books in the series.

16) I just read a series of picture books for a children's litclass: Peter Rabbit; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Stinky Cheese Man; and Mr. Wuffles. Mr. Wuffles was new to me and I very much enjoyed it. It's basically a wordless picture book about sometiny aliens who come to explore in their tiny spaceship and are mistaken for toy by Mr. Wuffles the cat. The aliensband together with the insects (ants, bees, dooble bugs, etc) in the house who have been terrorized by Mr. Wuffles for years and work to defeat him and get the aliens home. The whole thing plays outlike an episode of Star Trek (with the little green men playing the role ofhuman explorers).

I just started the Lunar Chronicles which is another "let's givefairytales a new twist" series. Frst bookis Cinders and it makes Cinderella a cyborg. I am actually really liking it so far. Other books in the series are Scarlet (Red Riding Hood), Cress (Rapunzel),and Winter (Snow White).

I'm almost finished with Live by Night by Dennis Lehane. It's the second of three in the Coughlin series, the first being The Given Day (set in the 1910s).

If you like a period novel (set predominantly in the 1920s) illustrating the rise of a Florida outlaw/gangster from his beginnings in a prominent Boston/Irish police family, you'll love it. It's been a great read IMO.

The third and final installment was just published a few weeks ago, and I ordered it from Amazon. I think it's set more from the mid-'30s through WWII.

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16) I just read a series of picture books for a children's litclass: Peter Rabbit; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Stinky Cheese Man

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Read this book in Kindergarten and was absolutely obsessed for a year or two. Thanks for the reminder. I'm gonna go look for this online.

Beware of Pity. Good but depressing.

Update:
1) Completed the biography of Winston Churchill trilogy started by William Manchester and last volume completed by Paul Reid. "The Last Lion William Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm 1940 - 1965". (A)
2) Anne Rice's "Prince Lestat". (B)
3) Jeff Shaara's "The Smoke at Dawn". Civil War - Western Theater. As always Shaara does good job of following generals and fighting men. Interesting after reading books on Roman battles and Civil War battles it strikes you how little changed. Interesting read, but not one of his best. (B)
4) Preston & Child's "Blue Labyrinth" Do enjoy Pendergast character, but not as many twists and turns as normally. (B)

Next: Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "Marina". Probably my favorite living foreign writer. Read "The Shadow of the Wind", "The Angel's Game" and "The Prisoner of Heaven". When downloaded thought new book, but actually old book newly released and before started writing adult books so not sure what to expect.

Gunslinger - Stephen King - C
The Beginner's Goodbye - Anne Taylor - B-
Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere - Poe Ballantine - A-
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - B
Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb - A-
The Quick - Lauren Owen - C-
The Lost Gate - Orson Scott Card - B+
The Paris Wife - Paula McClain - B+

Up next
Herland - Charlotte Perkins Gilman



For fantasy fans who like Patrick Rothfuss and Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb's work is worth checking out. Not quite as good as those guys, but similar themes about orphaned boys in a world with some magical powers.

For true crime fans, Poe Ballantine's book was really interesting. He blends memoir with his own investigation of a mysterious local homicide (or is it suicide?) in Chadron, NE.