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  • #76
    Re: Book Thread number ?

    Originally posted by MattS View Post
    If I recall correctly (I just printed out the lists), the lists I am using are here: Sci-Fi Top 100 and here: Top 100 Fantasy.

    A while back I googled around and found several lists. They are all pretty much alike and I just chose those to go with. The only real differences are the specific order (which I do not care about) and then some of the low ranking ones (certain books on some lists while not on others). Basically I am interested in the top 50, more or less, of each list. Most I have read but I want to hit them all in the Top 50 on each list.
    Interesting top 100 Sci-Fi list. Glad to see that many of the old masters are represented, but then Fantasy has overshadowed Sci-Fi the past couple of decades so it would have been disappointing to see the list dominated by more "recent" entries as so many top whatever lists are. There aren't many good "hard" Sci-Fi authors these days. Nice to see Cities in Flight on the list, which I really enjoyed. Although Clifford Simak is included with his Way Station, I think his City is even better.

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    • #77
      Re: Book Thread number ?

      Finished J. Courtney Sullivan's Maine - liked it a lot. Story about 4 women from a family that has a summer home in Maine - rotating chapters from each of their perspectives.

      Also read Kate Atkinson's "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" - enjoyed it a lot, it was unlike any other book I've read recently. The chapters alternate - the first chapter is while the main character is in the womb (from her perspective), then the next chapter is at some point in the family history that relates somehow, and it keeps moving forward, but you don't find out how it all links together until later in the book (I guess it's hard to explain). I couldn't put it down.

      Started to read Tina Fey's Bossypants - by page 30, I had already laughed so hard I cried - twice.

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      • #78
        Re: Book Thread number ?

        Originally posted by MattS View Post
        If I recall correctly (I just printed out the lists), the lists I am using are here: Sci-Fi Top 100 and here: Top 100 Fantasy.
        Looking thru the Fantasy list, I have read quite a few from there. I am happy to see David Eddings (one of my favorites) is all over the list, including at #7.
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        • #79
          Re: Book Thread number ?

          Originally posted by JF_Gophers View Post
          Looking thru the Fantasy list, I have read quite a few from there. I am happy to see David Eddings (one of my favorites) is all over the list, including at #7.
          Eddings is one of my favorite fantasy authors. Although I have to admit I much more enjoyed his earlier work.

          The real problem I have with the fantasy list is Harry Potter series at #2. Certainly in the top 100 but no way does it deserve to be that high. Especially above any Tolkien.
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          • #80
            Re: Book Thread number ?

            I am a little concerned that Amazon has started recommending mysteries about cats and knitting for me.

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            • #81
              Re: Book Thread number ?

              Originally posted by jen View Post
              I am a little concerned that Amazon has started recommending mysteries about cats and knitting for me.
              My sister refuses to shop on the internet, but solves the problem by having me do it for her. Her tastes are a little wierd, as are her friends for whom she buys presents, so I spend months at a time, particularly after Christmas, getting the most bizarre recommendations from Amazon. Very annoying.
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              • #82
                Re: Book Thread number ?

                Originally posted by jen View Post
                I am a little concerned that Amazon has started recommending mysteries about cats and knitting for me.
                They know you're a single female, living alone, of a certain age?

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                • #83
                  Re: Book Thread number ?

                  Has anyone else used Goodreads recommendation feature? I have my 800+ book list on the site but I haven't tried their recommendation feature and wondered how it was.
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                  • #84
                    Re: Book Thread number ?

                    Originally posted by jen View Post
                    I am a little concerned that Amazon has started recommending mysteries about cats and knitting for me.
                    Try buying textbooks to a liberal arts Catholic college. My recommendations are full of Philosophers. I want westerns and political thrillers.
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                    • #85
                      Re: Book Thread number ?

                      Originally posted by jen View Post
                      I am a little concerned that Amazon has started recommending mysteries about cats and knitting for me.
                      You're reading Bossypants and you don't expect to have cats and knitting rec'd? (I listened to the Bossypants audiobook. There's no getting around the fact that Tina Fey is funny.)

                      Currently reading Swamplandia!, a first novel. Not super-impressed, but it's not bad enough to bring back to the library unfinished.

                      I am SO not a science fiction or fantasy guy but I have been on a bit of a Terry Pratchett kick.
                      Last edited by duper; 09-24-2011, 10:01 PM.

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                      • #86
                        Re: Book Thread number ?

                        Recent reads


                        Foreign Influence by Brad Thor Another Scot Harvath book from Brad Thor. In this one Harvath is attempting to track down terrorists who have been setting off bombs killing Americans around Europe. His frienemy the Dwarf is back in this one as he assists Harvath in trying to track down the terrorists before time runs out.

                        The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul This latest installment of the Oregon series find the crew involved in Argentina. A new junta has taken charge and first the team is involved in retrieving a US satellite which has fallen down in their territory. Following this they are then involved in stopping a plot when the Argentinians and their Chinese allies try to take over Antarctica.

                        The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen The second Rizzoli and Isle book from Gerritsen ,actually the first with Maura Isles. In this book Jane Rizzoli is still haunted by her near death encounter with serial killer Warren Hoyt, the Surgeon when she is thrust intoo the investigation of another serial killer, the Dominator who's mo is similar to Hoyt's. Her life is thrown into further turmoil when Hoyt escapes from prison and teams up with the Dominator. Nice twists and turns and thrilling action.

                        The Motive by John Lescroart I like the lead up and legal case in this book from Lescroart but not the ending. The book starts when the home of a powerful patron of San Francisco politics home is burned to the ground and the bodies of both he and his fiance are found in the ashes. Further investigation reveals that they were both shot before the fire making it a murder investigation. Dismas hardy becomes involved when his ex-girlfriend the daughter-in-law of the deceased is charged with the crime. Nice investigation and court case back and forth but as I started off the ending comes of kind of unrealistic and flat.

                        Comrade J by Pete Earley This book is the story of Sergei Tretyakov a KGB and SVR, the successor to the KGB, spy and his subsequent defection to the United States in late 2000. His early life in the KGB and his stories of life in KGB headquarters is very interesting. His stories of spying and recruitment of spies while based in Ottawa is a bit eye opening. The number of non-Americans who were willing to give the Russian information on the US because they hated the US was a bit eye opening. It is also interesting how many of these former Russian spies and sources still have their jobs. The most interesting part is his life as Soviet deputy rezident at the UN mission where he ran most of the Russians spy operations in the US. His revelations that the ambassador from Tajikastan and a high official from Uzebekistan were Russian informers was interesting. Also eye opening was the revelation of how the Russians used the oil for food program to enrich themselves. The big detractor from the book is the limitation Earley was under not to reveal the information the Sergei gave to the US before he defected, he spied for the US for about 3 years before leaving. Even the small bit given at the end of the book leaves you wanting to hear more. Also the details of his defection are not listed the book it ends with him driving out of the Russian Embassy. His views on the Russian Oligarchs, Yeltsin and Putin are also interesting.
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                        • #87
                          Re: Book Thread number ?

                          Originally posted by Probert View Post
                          Has anyone else used Goodreads recommendation feature? I have my 800+ book list on the site but I haven't tried their recommendation feature and wondered how it was.
                          I just signed up on Monday and imported my stuff from LibraryThing. I don't like how Amazon mostly recommends on recent activity, so I've been looking for something better. Haven't looked at it in-depth yet, but it has to be better than Amazon. I don't think I've used the "Shelf" feature to its full capability. Seems helpful to be able to get recommendations based on a group of books that you select, though, rather than just genres.


                          Originally posted by duper View Post
                          You're reading Bossypants and you don't expect to have cats and knitting rec'd? (I listened to the Bossypants audiobook. There's no getting around the fact that Tina Fey is funny.)

                          Currently reading Swamplandia!, a first novel. Not super-impressed, but it's not bad enough to bring back to the library unfinished.
                          Originally posted by goldy_331 View Post
                          They know you're a single female, living alone, of a certain age?
                          and so what if I like Sue Grafton!

                          Swamplandia is on my list of things to read, too.
                          Last edited by jen; 09-28-2011, 08:50 AM.

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                          • #88
                            Re: Book Thread number ?

                            Originally posted by CarlS View Post
                            Scarlet - my wife just made the switch to the Kindle. She reads a ton (1-2 books a week)
                            and like many others likes the feel of a book, going to the store and being able to pick up a book and take a look before buying. She is hooked though on the Kindle and takes it everywhere. She says she feels she can read faster and now we won't have boxes of books in the attic, or more boxes. One thing she did say is she is not sure she will like not being able to lend friends copies of a book. I never expected her to make the switch.
                            The Kindle's even better now that Amazon finally decided to allow ePubs on it - meaning you can read library books and other public domain books on it. That said, I'll still prefer actual printed paper over text whenever possible.

                            Recent reads for me:

                            Re-read the Harry Potter series in honor of Banned Book Week.

                            Read Fledgling and Saltation by Sharron Miller and Steven Lee (or Steven Miller and Sharron Lee, whatever). Fairly cheesy sci-fi, but present an entertaining universe nonetheless. Kind of a series of side novels to their main Liaden Universe series, which I have yet to read.

                            The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman - very dark fantasy, book one of a trilogy (book two just released within the last month). The Amazon reviews are pretty accurate, the first few chapters are extremely interesting, setting up a very intriguing world, but then jumps into a standard "we're going questing" mode far too quickly and makes the book somewhat more generic than first appears. Have heard extremely mixed reviews for book 2, which I will probably read if I can find it at the library.

                            Which reminds me of a rant, my local library sucks. We moved from a college town with a great library to a former rural town turned-suburb with a pathetic one. The sci-fi fantasy section is all of three shelves in the back corner consisting primarily of star trek, star wars, and video game novelizations, along with a few staples (L. Ron Hubbard, Douglas Adams, Anne McCafferty, etc). Now, granted, they put some things that are normally in sci-fi in the general fiction or mysteries sections (such as Orson Scott Card), but nonetheless, the collection is pitiful. First time I've ever considered running for a government board or volunteering my time and/or money or something, because I can't stand my town having that bad of a library.

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                            • #89
                              Re: Book Thread number ?

                              Originally posted by jen View Post
                              I just signed up on Monday and imported my stuff from LibraryThing. I don't like how Amazon mostly recommends on recent activity, so I've been looking for something better. Haven't looked at it in-depth yet, but it has to be better than Amazon. I don't think I've used the "Shelf" feature to its full capability. Seems helpful to be able to get recommendations based on a group of books that you select, though, rather than just genres.






                              and so what if I like Sue Grafton!

                              Swamplandia is on my list of things to read, too.

                              The shelf feature has helped me out quite a bit from getting books I have already read of course I also have about 30 shelfs which sometimes makes it hard to navigate. Also to get the best results of the recommendation you have to rate the books and they didn't carry over my ratings when I moved my list from Living Social so I am still working on rating them.
                              Last edited by Probert; 09-28-2011, 07:39 PM.
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                              • #90
                                Re: Book Thread number ?

                                Originally posted by jen View Post
                                I just signed up on Monday and imported my stuff from LibraryThing. I don't like how Amazon mostly recommends on recent activity, so I've been looking for something better. Haven't looked at it in-depth yet, but it has to be better than Amazon. I don't think I've used the "Shelf" feature to its full capability. Seems helpful to be able to get recommendations based on a group of books that you select, though, rather than just genres.






                                and so what if I like Sue Grafton!

                                Swamplandia is on my list of things to read, too.
                                When I read my own post I realized that it could come across as obnoxious, which was not the intent. I hope that was clear. I should have put in more smileys.

                                Swamplandia was growing on me when I learned that I would be unable to renew a library book because another patron had requested it, so I had to switch mid-book. Back to Swamplandia today.

                                Other books currently out from the library or recently purchased but not yet read:

                                Don Quixote
                                The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
                                The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco
                                The Wild Things by Dave Eggers
                                yet another Terry Pratchett
                                Taft by Ann Patchett

                                For those not familiar, I recommend Ann Patchett based on what I have seen. I read Bel Canto which I loved and Run which I enjoyed, but perhaps somewhat less than Bel Canto.
                                Last edited by duper; 09-28-2011, 10:35 PM.

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