Book Thread number ?

[MattS]

Re: Book Thread number ?

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.

You should do it! I am just starting my second term on my local library board and it has been awesome, exasperating, and learning experience. The inner workings of a public library, at least here in NY, is fascinating. Patrons simply have no clue what it takes to have a well run library.

If you (and everyone reading this) don't want to run for office, then certainly consider volunteering or donating. Both of those goes a long ways to making it easier for the libraries to expand their collections and provide programming.

As for your specific problem of few Sci-fi books, does your library have an inter-library loan program available? In NY public libraries are set up into large geographic "systems" in which individual member libraries use their collectivism to provide greater services. For example, at my library we have an extensive collection of mysteries and christian based novels, but we are we on Sci-fi and non-fiction. However, the next town to the south has a very extensive collection of Sci-fi. Both libraries have made the decision to keep it that way. If I need a Sci-fi book then through the inter-library loan system I will have my requested book in a day or so. Not a bad wait and this way, save for the very popular authors, there is less purchasing of duplicate books and thus more a variety in the total system.

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

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.

I think I missed my window to import from Visual Bookshelf/Living Social, since I can't seem to access it now. Importing from LibraryThing DID bring my ratings, which was nice.

[MattS]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman today at lunch. I am not sure why it was ranked so high on the fantasy list I working through. While I found the basic story to be OK, I also found the book to be too long, parts of it were simply irrelevant, and other parts were confusing. Maybe I didn't enjoy it too much because I don't have an in depth knowledge of mythology, so I found parts of it confusing.

I think I will take a break from Sci-fi and Fantasy and read a mystery or two. So, next up.. Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein.

[St. Clown]

Re: Book Thread number ?

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.

Mark that stuff as Gifts when buying or when rating, and that problem's solved.

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman today at lunch. I am not sure why it was ranked so high on the fantasy list I working through. While I found the basic story to be OK, I also found the book to be too long, parts of it were simply irrelevant, and other parts were confusing. Maybe I didn't enjoy it too much because I don't have an in depth knowledge of mythology, so I found parts of it confusing.

I think I will take a break from Sci-fi and Fantasy and read a mystery or two. So, next up.. Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein.

Your admitted lack of knowledge in mythology definitely tainted your enjoyment. In school, I learned many a mythology, and picked up on quite a few things. You are correct that it was a mess for the first half of the book, it was very rambling. IMO, though, all the ends tied up nicely. I will also admit the House On The Rock part(s) helped me get into it, as I have visited it, and his description of the place was dead on. I knew his material and what he got from that place.

I neglected to say any of this beforehand, since I didn't want to spoil anything. Given the nature of the plot, etc, you never know what is a giveaway and what isn't.

Right now I'm reading "The Battle Of Alberta," a book on the Edmonton/Calgary rivalry over the years. It's meh. Interesting, but unless I was Canadian (or more specifically from one of those areas), I would appreciate it more.

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

This weeks reads

A Certain Justice by John Lescroart A good effort from Lescroart, missing Dismas Hardy for most of the book this is primarily a Abe Glitsky book. The novel starts with a young career criminal getting let off after being charged with the killing of a man. At a wake for the man who was killed his friends and acquaintances go out of the bar and string up a black man who happened by, the person being let go being black the man he killed white. One man trying to help the man being lynched is listed as the prime suspect due to a news photographers photo and he goes into hiding after being threatened by other members of the lynch mob. Not a whole lot of courtroom drama but a lot of political interplay between the various factions trying to reap the situation for their own benefit and Glitsky attempting to arrest the perpetrators.

Betrayal by John Lescroart This courtroom thriller follows the case of a soldier accused of killing a private contractor who helped get most of his company killed in Iraq and him seriously wounded. The book tells the story of what happened in Iraq the first trial and then the appeal which is being handled by Dismas Hardy. Nice courtroom action and intrigue.

Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman An excellent biography of Caesar. Always known as a great warrior this book shows Caesar's great talents as a politician. Reading Caesar's political battle with his Senate foes shows you how little has changed in the last 2,000 years. A great overview of Caesar;s early life his rise to power when he was governor of Gaul and his battle with Pompey and others to come to power in Rome.

[erin]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Haven't been on the board much at all, & even longer since in one of these threads. Not sure what I was last talking about reading, but the last few things I've read: Books 2 & 3 of the "Wicked" series ("Son of a Witch" & "A Lion Among Men") "The Help" & right in the thick of "A Game of Thrones" right now as my sister & some friends have been all over me to read the series. So far so good!

Just got a friend to read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris, & intentionally suggested that before "Naked"... which he's angling to pick up next. Thinking of re-reading one or both of those (one can always use a laugh)

[The Rube]

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Just started Theo Fleury's book. I wasn't even a chapter in before I was muttering "what the f*?!" to myself. That guy had one messed up childhood. Should be interesting the rest of the way.

Yes, he has been in the NHL for much of my sportsfan life, but never was a fan of his (I wasn't NOT a fan either), so I just know basically he was abused, and into drugs/alcohol; you know, the basics.

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just read The Last Best League by Jim Collins about the 2002 Chatham A's in the Cape Cod League. It was pretty good, but I wouldn't call it a must read. I thought the most interesting parts were the players' negotiations with their MLB teams, and the chapter at the end about the draft.

On a side note, this book also mentions Tony Gwynn, Jr. (we called him Anthony then) a few times, thereby making it awesome (unfortunately, he wasn't with Chatham, though, so it's not about him). Tim Stauffer is really the only main guy in the book that plays regularly in MLB now (not that the other stories aren't interesting).

Next up is The Catcher Was a Spy about Moe Berg.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished re-reading Guilty Until Proven Innocent by Donald Connery, a rather horrifying tale of police tactics gone wrong. They arrested and eventually convicted an innocent teenager in 1973 for the brutal slaying of his mother, and nearly 40 years later the actual guilty party or parties have never been prosecuted. Fortunately Peter Reilly was supported by many in his Connecticut town who knew he was not capable of this crime and went to extraordinary lengths to see that he was soon released from jail on appeal, and eventually were able to convince the state to dismiss the charges against him. I marvel at the sheer number of people who think the government can do nothing right, except when it comes to cops, who they miraculously believe can do no wrong.

Now I am reading The Quest, by Daniel Yergin. Some say he's one of the more influential experts on energy matters and a previous book, The Prize was a Pulitzer winner in the early 1990s and one of my favorites.

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent reads


The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen The third installment of the Rizzoli and Isles revolves around the attack of several nuns in a convent one left dead and the other left for dead. Another shocking development ensues when autopsy reveals that the dead nun had recently been given birth. A good page turning thriller.

Vanish by Tess Gerritsen The fifth installment of the Rizzoli and Isles series. This one opens with a shocker when a corpse in Dr. Isles morgue comes to life and has to be rushed to the hospital. At the hospital more mayhem ensues when the "dead woman" takes hostages including a very pregnant Jane Rizzoli. An excellent non stop action thriller in my opinion the best so far of the Rizzoli and Isles books.

Freaks by Tess Gerritsen This is a free e-book from Tess Gerritsen that is a Rizzoli and Isles "book". It probably shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes to read and isn't anything great but it is free.

1861 by Adam Goodheart This book is about the year 1861 one of the most tumultuous years in American history. It follows through the lives of several people including Elmer Ellsworth the first Union officer killed during the war and Richhard Anderson the commander of Fort Sumter, the opening days of the Civil War. A pretty good overview of this year especially the political maneuverings and struggles of the defenders of Fort Sumter.

Heatwave by Richard Castle This is exactly what you think it is if you watch the TV Show Castle. A book about his fictional detective "Nikki Heat". This is written just as the character on the tv show would write a book. it is a bit over the top and is only an okay read but if you are a fan of the show you will probably like the book.

The 8th Confession by James Patterson The 8th installment of the Women's Murder Club is all about celebrity couples being murdered and the police being unable to determine the cause of death. Later it takes another turn when it is revealed that these crimes mirror an old cold case. An okay effort for the Women's Murder Club but these books seem to be slipping a bit.

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

The Catcher was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg - pretty good. I suppose it'd be hard to get more details, since most involved are dead. I thought the author treated Berg pretty harshly near the end (but maybe deservedly so). He certainly led an interesting life, but the general theme I got from the book was Moe Berg was a very frustrated man who never seemed to live up to his own standards.

Also finished Jocks and Socks: Inside Stories from a Major League Locker Room by Jim Ksicinski (he worked in the visitors' clubhouse in Milwaukee for 35+ years - both Braves and Brewers). Some of the stories were entertaining, but it was poorly written and edited. It's like they made too many changes to it, and got tired of going back to fix stuff, so things got repeated. There really wasn't any flow - sort of felt like reading a bulletpoint list.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

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The Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Cooper Ramo

Probably the worst book I've had to read for a class since I had to read The Time Machine in 7th grade. Read three pages, nod off, read three pages, nod off. I get it, the US socio-politicial-economic model has to change. Stop rephrasing that in 40 different ways and get to the goddamn point.

This book is actually the first dud I've run into in grad school. Usually the assigned reading is much better.

[erin]

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Still reading Game of Thrones, also reading Naked (more light-hearted & laughs before bed rather than some of the nasty in Thrones, right before trying to sleep, anyway).

Also learned there is a 4th book in the Wicked series, so now I need to get my hands on a copy of that. Whew.

[DisplacedCornellian]

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Decided to read some horror books during October, being the month of Halloween and all.

Started with Heart Shaped-Box by Joe Hill (aka Joseph Hillstrom King - Stephen King's son). Pretty solid ghost story all around. I'd recommend it to horror fans.

Then, went on to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Okay, it's more dystopian parable than horror story, but still pretty scary.

Followed that up with Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. Excellent. Need to re-watch the movie now.

Now I'm re-reading The Shining, which I first read about 15 years ago. Good stuff - I love the movie, but forgot how much Kubrick cut out.