I waste time on the ipad instead of starting up the kindle app. Surfing texags before you go to sleep is a good way to not sleep.

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Not as many comments to the thread as in previous years - are we all reading less? (I know I have been)

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I certainly have. Had to study for a consulting license test for work that took up more than 3 months of my year. And now that we are into football & hunting season my reading time is definitely more limited than it is earlier on in the year.


My Updated list:
Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in WWII by Belton Cooper (B+)
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin (B+)
Empire of the Summer Moon by S C Gwynne (B-)
The Stand by Stephen King (B-)
The Martian by Andy Weir (B)
Tom Clancy's Support and Defend by Mark Greaney (A-)

Up next are the newest two Clancy books and a book on Roman aqueducts.

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+
5. A reread of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline A+
6. Beware the Wild, Natalie C Parker A
7. Missoula, John Krakauer A
8. Armada, Ernest Cline. B+


9. All American Boys, Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely (9/29 publish date) A

I absolutely loved this book but should point out its not for everyone. It centers around an incident of police brutality against a 16 year old high black school student and a fellow classmate that witnesses the beating. It looks at how the incident divides the basketball team they both play on, school, and community. THey do a great job of representing all viewpoints and showing the right and wrong way to respond. Overall a fantastic book and great for teens/educators/anyone

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Just started Moby Dick.

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Seriously, let us know if it is even readable.

Ready Player One (A+) - Everyone I have told loves this book
Let's Pretend this Never Happened (A+) - LOL Funny
The Martian (A) - I loved it
On The Run: A Mafia Childhood (B+) - Goodfellas Henry Hill's life from the view of his kids. He was a complete sociopath. Really completes the story and shows the incredible downside compared to the movie.


Pure Murder (B) - murder of two 14 year old girls in Houston
Gangsters and Goodfellas (B) - Goodfellas from Henry Hills point of view, he is full of crap

Deadl Hero: High Society Murder (C) - no mystery. Only interesting in seeing 1930s life
14 by Peter Clines (C) - starts awesome and just .... ends.
The Nightingale (C) - extremely predictable
All the Light We Cannot See (C)- decent book, but completely forgettable
Travels with Charley.... by Steinbeck (C) - just boring. Was expecting a lot more.
Never Let Me Go (C) Great idea for story BUT NOTHING HAPPENS!!!! ARRGH!

Not My Fathers Son by Alan Cumming (D) - whines and whines about crappy childhood.
The Shooting Salvationist (D) - boring, no mystery, nothing

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I finished re-reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" and am starting on "The Edge of Sadness" by Edwin O'Connor. My Pulitzer reading project continues.

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I loved Middlesex.
I think the Advise and Consent movie is highly underrated.

Any Pulitzers you really liked?

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I've been on a true crime kick as of late. I've read In Cold Blood (actually never read it back in high school when it seems like everyone reads it) and Columbine, which as you would expect, is about the school shooting. Sped through that one in about 3 days.

Gonna try this Devil in the White City next based on this thread

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Best True Crime book, in my opinion, is Blood and Money. I have read it twice. I read it when I was young and it got me hooked on true crime.

trust me...Champion of the Barrio

So far in 2015:

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund by Edmund Morris: A-

The Power Broker by Robert A Caro (same guy who does all the LBJ books): A+

48 Laws of Power by Robert Green: A+

Missoula by Jon Krakauer: C+

American Desperado by Jon Roberts, Eric Wright (more in depth version of Cocaine Cowboys, just ****ing nuts whether exaggerated or not): A+

Dreamland by Sam Quinones: A

People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry: A

The Bundy Murders by Kevin M Sullivan: A-

Zodiac by Robert Graysmith: B+

No One Would Listen by Harry Markopolos: A-

Becoming Steve Jobs by Rick Tetzeli, Brent Schendler: B+

A few others I don't remember

Recently...

Re-read: Ready Player One... A+

Followed it up with: Star Wars Aftermath... D

I've been reading some Joseph Kanon. Good stuff if you like mystery, a little bit of sex and spying.

Los Alamos ...A... Murder mystery at Los Alamos during WWII.
The Prodigal Spy ...A+... Cold War spy stuff.
The Good German ...A++... Excellent! Takes place in Berlin right after WWII.

1 Storm Front - Jim Butcher
2 Fool Moon - Jim Butcher
3 Grave Peril - Jim Butcher
4 Summer Knight - Jim Butcher
5 Death Masks - Jim Butcher
6 Blood Rites - Jim Butcher
7 Dead Beat - Jim Butcher
8 Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher
9 White Night - Jim Butcher
10 Small Favor - Jim Butcher
11 Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
12 Changes - Jim Butcher
13 Ghost Story - Jim Butcher
14 Cold Days - Jim Butcher A-
15. The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch - A
16. The Martian - Andy Weir - A
17. Skin Game - Jim Butcher A-
18. Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson B
19 A Moveable Feast - Hemingway B+
20 Armada - Ernest Cline - B
21 The Queen of Fire - Anthony Ryan - DD

22. Red Seas Under Red Skies + Scott Lynch B+
Solid 2nd book. Love the two main characters and the story was fun but not nearly as good as the first book.

23. The Aeronaut's Windlass - Jim Butcher D
Why did I read this! I know why. It's because I love the Dresden Files. This book was nothing like the Dresden Files so tread lightly if that's what you're looking for.

im starting to sense a slight pattern

A lot of Jim Butcher?

I'm the type of person who starts series and has to finish them before moving on to something new.

Here is an update for me. I bought a Kindle last year and decided to make this the year I start reading regularly again. I hadn't read more than a book or so a year since about 2008. I'm really proud of the progress I've made this year. I end up looking forward to reading vs some of my other hobbies at home now.

1. Inferno by Dan Brown
2. The Amber Room by Steve Berry
3. Dead Heat by Joel C. Rosenberg
4. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
5. The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
6. The Martian by Andy Weir
7. The Third Secret by Steve Berry
8. The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson
9. The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
10. The Scarlatti Inheritance by Robert Ludlum
11. Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S.A. Corey
12. Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
13. Calibans War (The Expanse #2) by James S.A. Corey
14. The Osterman Weekend by Robert Ludlum
15. Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno
16. The Black Echo (Harry Bosch #1) by Michael Connelly
17. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
18. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson
19. Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy
20. Pandora's Star (Commonwealth #1) by Peter F. Hamilton
21. Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy #1) by Pierce Brown
22. Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy #2) by Pierce Brown

New books since my last update
23. Judas Unchained (Commonwealth #2) by Peter F. Hamilton
24. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
25. Feed by M.T. Anderson (really really disliked this one....)
26. Armada by Earnest Cline (not a huge fan esp as a follow up to RPO)
27. Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy
28. The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
29. The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg (Twelfth Imam #1)

Currently reading the second book of the Twelfth Imam trilogy, The Tehran Initiative. I'll likely also finish the third, Damascus Countdown, after. This is a trilogy about Iran getting nuclear weapons and follows a CIA operative trying to stop Iran from using them. It's not a bad read if you enjoy thrillers but it does get into some end of times religious prophecy in case that is something that would bother you.

I have a huge to read list so I'm not sure what I'll tackle after my current series to finish up the year. Here are some options.
-Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
-Mistborn #3
-The Expanse #3 (and maybe 4 and 5) in preparation for the Syfy series in December

Without Remorse is my favorite Clancy book. Go with that.

Just finished Armada, Ernest Cline's follow up to Ready Player One.


It was terrible... He tried to recapture everything that made RP1 great with tons of pop culture and nerd references, only this time it wasn't fun and charming. Honestly it came off as forced and kind of sad even.

It was also clear that he wrote it clearly with intentions of it translating to a movie. I'm sure a lot of writers do that, and it doesn't seem like it would be an issue, but in this case I think it was.




Trying to decide whether to start Wool, The Alchemist or Into Thin Air next.

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Just finished Armada, Ernest Cline's follow up to Ready Player One.


It was terrible... He tried to recapture everything that made RP1 great with tons of pop culture and nerd references, only this time it wasn't fun and charming. Honestly it came off as forced and kind of sad even.

It was also clear that he wrote it clearly with intentions of it translating to a movie. I'm sure a lot of writers do that, and it doesn't seem like it would be an issue, but in this case I think it was.




Trying to decide whether to start Wool, The Alchemist or Into Thin Air next.

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I agree with the general feeling about armada. Not good.

Wool is outstanding.

I'm currently on a Sanderson binge. Listening to Steelheart on audio and reading alloy of law. Both outstanding so far I really have enjoyed all of his stories so far.

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Into Thin Air

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Endorsed.

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Into Thin Air

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Endorsed.

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Seconded.

I'm re-reading it now. Great book, hard to put down.

Steelheart is excellent, although the follow up Firefight was not nearly as entertaining I didnt think.

I started "Hell House" on the way to work today. Seems like it could be a pretty interesting book for Halloween-time.

I've been on the same Sanderson kick. I re-read both of the Starlight Archive books (which IMO, are the best fantasy novels in the past 10 years), and finally got around to reading Alloy of Law. I wasn't a big fan of the idea around pushing the storyline into the future, in some industrial western setting. But, I have to say, it was really good. I'm about half way through Shadows of Self, and I see that a third one comes out in January. Now, if only he'd speed up his next SA release.

Also reading Shadows of Self and it's great so far. He is by far my favorite author going right now. Simply put, he's just better than anyone else I read and he puts out a massive amount of material. He's brilliant.

Also agree with you on Stormlight. First book was perfect. Read it twice already. Will probably read the 2nd again soon in anticipation of the 3rd.

Will start Stephenson's Snow Crash next.

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Also reading Shadows of Self and it's great so far. He is by far my favorite author going right now. Simply put, he's just better than anyone else I read and he puts out a massive amount of material. He's brilliant.

Also agree with you on Stormlight. First book was perfect. Read it twice already. Will probably read the 2nd again soon in anticipation of the 3rd.

Will start Stephenson's Snow Crash next.

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I read about 30% of Snow Crash and didn't like it.

2015

Gunslinger - Stephen King - C
The Beginner's Goodbye - Anne Taylor - B-
Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere - Poe Ballantine - B+
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+


Update:
Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb - B-
Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb - B
Herland - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - A
Thunderhead - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - C-
Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman - A
The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg - A-
*******s: A Theory - Aaron James - B-
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson - B-
And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - C
The Wonder of All Things - Jason Mott - D
The Gate Thief - Orson Scott Card - B-
The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell - A
The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins - B
The Good Girl - Mary Kubica - C+
Gray Mountain - John Grishmam - B-
Ourselves - S.G. Redling - C-
Armada - Ernest Cline - C-
What Strange Creatures - Emily Arsenault - C-

Currently Reading:
Dear Committee Members - Julie Schumacher
Twelve Kings in Sharakhai - Bradley P. Beaulieu



The Sparrow is an older (1990s) science fiction piece about a Jesuit sponsored exposition to a newly found alien planet. Starts a little slow, but the descriptions are quite captivating. Best find so far this year.

Echoing what others have said on this thread, I was really disappointed with Armada. It started off OK, but really spiraled downward during the latter half of the book.

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". 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)

3) Jeff Shaara's "The Smoke at Dawn". Civil War - Western Theater. A bit disappointing. Read all of his books and this probably least enjoyable. Basically Sherman's march AFTER Atlanta until end of war. No battles that could have gone either way. Nothing, but slow mostly uneventful march through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. (C)

Next: Neal Stephenson's "Seveneves". Really enjoyed his last book "Reamde".

Normally read 1-2 books a month, but been a hard year to find the time.

Marooned in Aggieland (Josh Perry) B-
The Running Man (Stephen King) A
The 100 Year Decision (R Bowen Loftin) A-

1 Storm Front - Jim Butcher
2 Fool Moon - Jim Butcher
3 Grave Peril - Jim Butcher
4 Summer Knight - Jim Butcher
5 Death Masks - Jim Butcher
6 Blood Rites - Jim Butcher
7 Dead Beat - Jim Butcher
8 Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher
9 White Night - Jim Butcher
10 Small Favor - Jim Butcher
11 Turn Coat - Jim Butcher
12 Changes - Jim Butcher
13 Ghost Story - Jim Butcher
14 Cold Days - Jim Butcher A-
15. The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch - A
16. The Martian - Andy Weir - A
17. Skin Game - Jim Butcher A-
18. Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson B
19 A Moveable Feast - Hemingway B+
20 Armada - Ernest Cline - B
21 The Queen of Fire - Anthony Ryan - D
22. Red Seas Under Red Skies + Scott Lynch B+
23. The Aeronaut's Windlass - Jim Butcher DD

24. Shadows of Self - Brandon Sanderson A-
Another great book. He just keep cranking out great material. Give him a try if you're on the fence.

25. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson A-
Excellent book. Definitely not for everyone but a great perspective on the future. Pretty amazing that it was written in the early 90s.

Not sure what to read next. Will have a lot of time over the holidays so need to find a few books.

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This has been a prolific year so far, by my standards. Maybe that has something to do with me getting in touch with my sci-fi/fantasy side.

1. Foundation Trilogy - Asimov (that should count for three books read, right?)
2. Dresden Files - Jim Butcher, first 5 books
3. Dune
4. Dune Messiah
5. Children of Dune
6. God Emperor of Dune
7. Animal Farm
8. Walking Dead graphic novels (all of them currently in hardcover)
9. Ready Player One
10. The Man in the High Castle

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I'm having a really hard time getting into The Man in the High Castle, but I'm only 3 chapters in. Any hope for me?

No, this is my first book of his.

Read the Queen of Fire. D is generous...

Ending killed the series and there was so much promise after Blood Song

I would also recommend "The Sigil Blade" and "Dawn of Wonder" for you fantasy nuts.

Finally finished all the Dresden Files books last night thanks to this thread. I didn't much care for the first two books, but got hooked soon after that. Also, have read the new Mistborn books and The Gentlemen *******s books recently.

Read both of of The Reckoners books over the past week.

Great reads. Sanderson is easily my favorite writer right now.