mrsbeer05 said:

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The Whistler by John Grishman 7.5/10

The judicial ethics board is investigating a judge. The intrigue starts strong then fizzles

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I've had this complaint with Grisham for several years. It's too bad. I use to really look forward to his books, but I think he's run out of things to say.

I like the expanse, but haven't heard of the other two. I'll check them out.

Also considering finishing Wheel of Time. I gave up in book 8, but might read the summaries for 8, 9,10,11 so I can read the Sanderson portion. While Jordan lost me, I have no doubt Sanderson can bring it home.

wreckt01 said:

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I like the expanse, but haven't heard of the other two. I'll check them out.

Also considering finishing Wheel of Time. I gave up in book 8, but might read the summaries for 8, 9,10,11 so I can read the Sanderson portion. While Jordan lost me, I have no doubt Sanderson can bring it home.

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The Extracted trilogy by R.R. Hayward

The Old Man's War series by John Scalzi

The Ancillary trilogy by Ann Leckie

The latest book in the Expanse series just dropped on Monday. I'm on book 4 of a re-read to get up to speed before I dive into the new one.

The Spire by Richard North Patterson 8/10

An entertaining thriller. Like all thrillers, the full reveal of the crime seems a little far fetched, but Patterson did a good job of keeping me off the trail.

Have you read any of the Witcher saga novels? They will provide the meat you are looking for

So far since January:

Swan Song- McCammon (A)
Circe- Miller (B)
Song of Achilles- Miller (B-)
Wolves of Eden- McCarthy (A)
Beneath a Scarlet Sky- Sullivan (B)
The Blade Itself- Abercrombie (A)
Before They Are Hanged- Abercrombie (B)
Last Argument of Kings- Abercrombie (B+)
Best Served Cold- Abercrombie (B)
The Heroes- Abercrombie (A)
The Last Kingdom- Cornwell (A)

unbroken by laura hildebrand
hp and goblet of fire
planetfall by emma newman
after atlas by emma newman
one second after by william forstchen
one year after by william forstchen
the long earth by terry pratchett
dark forest by cixin liu
hp and order of phoenix
apollo 8 by kluger
long way to small angry planet by becky chambers
death's end by cixin liu
final day by forstchen
hp and half blood prince
hidden figures


books i got at least 1/4 the way through, and decided i didn't enjoy it enough to finish
we were the lucky ones
dune
red moon
life and times of thunderbolt kid

update: Repeat readings of HPs to discuss with grand daughter
1) Peter V. Brett's The Daylight War (Demon Cycle #3) B+
2) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone A-
3) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets A
4) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban A
5) Peter V. Brett's The Skull Throne (Demon Cycle #4) B
6) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire A-
7) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix A-
8) Preston and Child's Verses for the Dead (Pendergast series #18) B
9) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince A-
10) J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows A
11) Ransom Riggs' A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #4) B
12) Peter V. Brett's The Core (Demon Cycle Series #5) B+
13) Ken Follet's Eye of the Needle A

14) Markus Zusak's I Am The Messenger; A beautiful story by the writer of The Book Thief (A+)

May update:
15) James Michener's Poland; While interesting, like his novel Chesapeake I've read, it became a bit of a slog to get through parts. (B)
16) Michael Scott's The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1) Another series granddaughter has asked me to read (B)
17) Justin Cronin's The Summer Guest; Writer of The Passage trilogy which I loved. Nice story, but a little forgettable. (B)

I love I am the Messenger!

My pace this year sucks:

Completed:
The Keep - F. Paul Wilson
Demonsong - F. Paul Wilson (short story)

In Process:
Salvation - Peter F Hamilton
Warriors of the Storm - Bernard Cornwell

My pace is slow so far but it usually picks up as we move into pool season and I float around the pool on the weekend and read.

Bloody Rose (Eames)- B - Follow up to Kings of the Wyld. Not as good but still a fun read.

Skyward (Sanderson) A- Sanderson delivers again. Great story.

984 (Orwell)- C- reread from high school in 90's. Just drug on and on.

Reading: Unchained: Feathers and Fire Book 1 (Silvers)- recommended by my brother and got the series cheap

Listening: Dark Tower 4

Recently finished:

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa - Adam Hochshild (Belgium king's brutal colonization of the Congo)

Papillon - Henri Charriere (author's notebooks detailing his time in French penal colony)

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup - John Carreyrou (story of Theranos scandal - excellent read. Highly recommend)

The Reluctant Communist:My Desertion, Court-Martial & Forty Year Imprisonment in North Korea - Charles Robert Jenkins (soldier who abandoned his post and walked across the border into N. Korea thinking he could then somehow make his way into Russia or China and be sent home. Just okay.)

Churchill: Walking With Destiny - Andrew Roberts (Thoroughly enjoyed this. Any buff of Churchill and WWII should read this one.

Currently reading:

The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking True Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy - Ann Rule (Author had been friend/coworker of Bundy. Started writing about the cases not knowing Bundy was the killer)

Patton: Ordeal and Triumph - Ladislas Farago

Quote:

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I love I am the Messenger!

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Have you read his new Bridge of Clay? Seeing some mixed reviews.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- 10/10

Star is with a close friend when he is shot by a police officer. The book follows Star's struggle with that event and how to use her voice to speak out against what she saw.


Well written, honest, just a great book

mrsbeer05 said:

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- 10/10

Star is with a close friend when he is shot by a police officer. The book follows Star's struggle with that event and how to use her voice to speak out against what she saw.


Well written, honest, just a great book

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You might enjoy Angie's second book, On The Come Up. Different characters but still set in Garden Heights

I actually just bought it this morning

Audiobooks:

Hitchhikers guide, not that I hadn't read it but always heard Stephen fry did a great job with it and they were right.

Dune. Been on my bucket list for a long time, well worth it.

boboguitar said:

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Audiobooks:

Hitchhikers guide, not that I hadn't read it but always heard Stephen fry did a great job with it and they were right.

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Don't listen to the rest of the series. I think Martin Freeman is the narrator and he is awful compared to Fry

Just started "The Border" by Don Winslow. For anyone who hasn't read The Power of the Dog series I highly recommend it.

I did not think this one was as good as the first two. Will be interested to hear your thoughts.

mrsbeer05 said:

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boboguitar said:

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Audiobooks:

Hitchhikers guide, not that I hadn't read it but always heard Stephen fry did a great job with it and they were right.

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Don't listen to the rest of the series. I think Martin Freeman is the narrator and he is awful compared to Fry

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The original BBC radio shows are the best audio versions of Hitchhiker's and Restaurant.

David Bentley Hart - translation of the New Testament. He's a scholar of Koine Greek and did so VERY literally from the earliest sources (2-3 Century copies), with extensive explanations for his choices.

Let's just say all other translations are bad.

Watts, The Final Pagan Generation.

He's an ancient Roman coin collector, like me (I also collect silver rounds).

Highly recommended.

I found Skyward (Sanderson) and going to read

G Martin 87 said:

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mrsbeer05 said:

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boboguitar said:

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Audiobooks:

Hitchhikers guide, not that I hadn't read it but always heard Stephen fry did a great job with it and they were right.

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Don't listen to the rest of the series. I think Martin Freeman is the narrator and he is awful compared to Fry

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The original BBC radio shows are the best audio versions of Hitchhiker's and Restaurant.

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I'm going to start Hitchhikers next. I've planned to forever, but just haven't for some reason.

Defending Jacob by William Landay 10/10

Legal thriller with great twists and turns

mrsbeer05 said:

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boboguitar said:

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Audiobooks:

Hitchhikers guide, not that I hadn't read it but always heard Stephen fry did a great job with it and they were right.

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Don't listen to the rest of the series. I think Martin Freeman is the narrator and he is awful compared to Fry

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Should just find recordings of the bbc radio version of the Hitchhikers Guide, when Douglas Adams was still alive.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 9/10

Not quite as good as The Hate U Give, but still a quality book. It just wasn't as developed in my opinion.

1) Memories of Ice (Malazan #3) by Steven Erikson - B+
2) Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco - C (revised down from C+ after some time to think about it)
3) The Nutmeg of Consolation (Aubrey/Maturin #14) by Patrick O'Brian - A-
4) House of Chains (Malazan #4) by Steven Erikson - B+
5) The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins - B-
6) The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett - A
7) The Truelove (Aubrey/Maturin #15) by Patrick O'Brian - A-

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

These books are notoriously difficult and complex reads, but so far each subsequent book reads more like a traditional fantasy novel. It's hard to tell whether this is more because the writing style is getting clearer or because you're more acclimated to the world and the vocabulary. They're getting better as I go, which is tough for any series to pull off.

9) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - B

This one had been sitting on my shelf for a few years so I decided to finally knock it out. It's a remarkable book for a lot of reasons, not least of which the biting insight into the late 1950s society. You have the Clutter family (the victims) who are the stereotypical 50s family, and then you have the criminals, who have a totally different life experience in the same time period. The fact that those 50s Ozzie and Harriet stereotypes did actually exist, BUT they were nowhere near universal or without psychological consequence as TV made them seem, hits pretty hard. The main problem I had was that some of the scenes are clearly the author's reconstruction and didn't actually happen.

10) The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch - B+

This is such a good series. Neither the second book nor this one lived up to the masterpiece that was book 1, but they don't have to to still be highly entertaining. I did feel like some opportunities were missed in glossing over some of the machinations of the central plot line, but overall still a positive experience.

11) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - B (?)

A seriously funny book with a lot of religious and literary allusions to unpack. There's a lot of structural things going on here too. This is one of those where I genuinely enjoyed large stretches of the book, and I understand why it's a classic, but I don't have enough positive feelings to give it over a B.

12) The Bonehunters (Malazan #6) by Steven Erikson - in progress

American Gods by Neil Gaiman A+

Very different from Gaiman's other books, but I really like it. Kinda want to watch the show now.

mrsbeer05 said:

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American Gods by Neil Gaiman A+

Very different from Gaiman's other books, but I really like it. Kinda want to watch the show now.

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I'm in the last 1/4 of this book. Should finish it next week.

wreckt01 said:

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Neuromancer - Gibson: B+
Very unique steampunkish book, a few odd quirks, but overall solid. Will read/audible the sequels.

The Last Wish - Sapkowski: B
Sword of Destiny - Sapkowski: B
Witcher short stories. Entertaining and good back story, but I wanted more meat. That's the nature of short stories I guess. Will circle back and read/audible the novels

Skyward - Sanderson: A ; The guy is a machine and every book he writes is worth reading. Enjoyed this one from start to finish


Need a new series, leaning towards either demon cycle or galaxys edge but open for suggestions.

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I'm about to finish the last of the Stormlight books, which were my introduction to Sanderson. I'm hooked. Which series should I pick up next?

HtownAg92 said:

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wreckt01 said:

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Neuromancer - Gibson: B+
Very unique steampunkish book, a few odd quirks, but overall solid. Will read/audible the sequels.

The Last Wish - Sapkowski: B
Sword of Destiny - Sapkowski: B
Witcher short stories. Entertaining and good back story, but I wanted more meat. That's the nature of short stories I guess. Will circle back and read/audible the novels

Skyward - Sanderson: A ; The guy is a machine and every book he writes is worth reading. Enjoyed this one from start to finish


Need a new series, leaning towards either demon cycle or galaxys edge but open for suggestions.

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I'm about to finish the last of the Stormlight books, which were my introduction to Sanderson. I'm hooked. Which series should I pick up next?

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I'm a fan of The Wandering Inn. You can read older chapters, about 2 years worth, for free. It's a web series.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/10073/the-wandering-inn/

HtownAg92 said:

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wreckt01 said:

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Neuromancer - Gibson: B+
Very unique steampunkish book, a few odd quirks, but overall solid. Will read/audible the sequels.

The Last Wish - Sapkowski: B
Sword of Destiny - Sapkowski: B
Witcher short stories. Entertaining and good back story, but I wanted more meat. That's the nature of short stories I guess. Will circle back and read/audible the novels

Skyward - Sanderson: A ; The guy is a machine and every book he writes is worth reading. Enjoyed this one from start to finish


Need a new series, leaning towards either demon cycle or galaxys edge but open for suggestions.

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I'm about to finish the last of the Stormlight books, which were my introduction to Sanderson. I'm hooked. Which series should I pick up next?

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I really like the Mistborn trilogy and the follow up to those.

Mistborn is excellent.