CaP'N GRuNGe Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Done this the last 2 years so might as well keep up the new tradition... What books are you into starting the new year? Get some new titles for Christmas? Any series to recommend? I'm liking my new nook e-reader and looking to start filling it with books for the new year, though i still have a few paperbacks i need to read as well. I picked up Ready Player One as was recommended here and liked the first 30 pages so far. I finished Gideon's Sword by Preston & Child and I can see why the reviews have been pretty lukewarm on that new series. I mean it's not bad per se, just not up to their Pendergast books. That one came with a free book by Brad Meltzer, The Zero Game. I'm maybe close to half way through that one and enjoying it. Thinking of finally getting on the bandwagon and trying to tackle the George RR Martin series, but we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 For Christmas my daughter got me: Bloody Crimes by James Swanson The funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the chase for Jefferson Davis Same guy that wrote: Manhunt- the 12 day chase for Lincolns killer. I'm doing alot of continuing education online so it's gonna be awhile before i get to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Received Ready Player One for Christmas and finished it faster than any other book in recent memory. What a terrific nostalgic trip for any child of the 80s who watched too much TV, saw too many movies, and played to many arcade and early console games. The author, Ernest Cline, is so into the 80s, he bought a Back to the Future Delorian with the proceeds. The plot won't break any new ground, but it is a really fun read for anyone into sci-fi/fantasy. 5 stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 My list will almost entirely depend on what books I find at the semi-annual half-off sale at the Bargain Book Store tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Sacrebleu Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Loving THINKING, FAST AND SLOW by Daniel Kahneman a nobel prize winner in economics. Though I am not convinced by all of it, the way he shows how the mind works, how defective it is, and can be manipulated is absolutely frightening. Especially relevant when considering these upcoming political primaries. Thank sister in law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Steak as recommended by muck in the Food and Beverage Forum. Finished it two days ago. Highly recommend for any of you who love meat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricrelish Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) I've been doing a lot of house cleaning lately trying to get my g/f's late mother's house ready to put on the market. I like to listen to books to help the time pass. I chose some action-thriller books that would be easy to follow and not demand too much of my attention. I listened to the following last week: Red On Red (2011) by Edward Conlon - It's a cop story that is the complete opposite of your typical action thrillers most likely because it was written by a Harvard graduate, who is currently employed as a NYPD detective with 16 years of experience. The story revolves around 2 cops, who have just begun their partnership, and they tackle realistic crimes with no tight plotting because life just doesn't work that way. One gets a feel for what the daily life of a detective is and the type of personalities that take on these types of jobs. Most of the cops' plans never go as intended and things keep getting messy. Ultimately, it's about the relationship of the 2 detectives and how men form friendships. In the end, I think Conlon got scared and tried to sew everything together with a pat ending to make it more consumable for a mass audience, thus the ending simply didn't ring true. Still, I think that Conlon's got a good voice and a good ear that I'd be interested in hearing more from. Headhunters (2008) by Jo Nesbo - I found the far-fetched, tightly plotted thriller that I was looking for here. Although this book was published in 2008 in Norway, it wasn't available in the U.S. until 2011. It's the story of a headhunter named Roger Brown who is very short and believes that he must make huge amounts of money in order to keep his trophy wife from leaving him. He supplements his income by stealing art and selling it illegally. One day, his wife introduces him to Clas Greve, who is the perfect CEO candidate to recommend to one of his clients, and furthermore, Greve happens to be in possession of one of the most sought after paintings that has thought to have been missing for years. Roger Brown sees the opportunity to make enough money to set him up for life. The story is a guilty pleasure with characters that I've never encountered in life. If you can get past the suspension of disbelief, which Nesbo handles with comic flair, then you'll enjoy watching the protagonist's plans go from bad to ugly and then downright disgusting. One can't help but have fun in following Roger Brown's selfish rite of passage that leads to self-discovery of what he really wants in life and just exactly what depths he will stoop to in order to get it. This book has already been made into a Norwegian film, which makes sense because it has that movie feel to it, although it was written in the first person. This book was the first that I've ever read by Nesbo, and he's definitely skilled at keeping one engaged and entertained throughout. The Blue Zone (2008) by Andrew Gross - Meet Kate Raab, the recent college graduate, who's perfect job, perfect boyfriend and perfect life are turned upside down when her father is arrested on money laundering charges for a drug cartel. Papa Raab agrees to testify against his accomplices in exchange for placing his family into a Witness Protection Program. Since Kate is a grown adult, she is not part of the program, thus does not know where her father, mother and younger siblings are placed. A year later, the FBI approaches Kate looking for her father, as he has left the protection program and cannot be found for he has entered what is known as the blue zone. Dun-dun-da-dun! This book is Gross's first published solo effort after co-writing several murder mystery novels with James Patterson. According to Gross, the story is about the innocent family members and how they deal with learning everything that they thought they knew was a lie; however, it's really not about that at all. It's a really a thriller where Kate's life is suddenly in danger. A co-worker takes a bullet that puts her into a coma that may have been meant for Kate. Not knowing what to think, Kate undertakes a journey to find out where her family is and who her father really is. The more questions she asks, the more people start to get killed. Dun-dun-da-dun! I guess you could say the story is a journey into adulthood for the protagonist, who must carve her own path without the guidance of her parents, perhaps for the first time in her life. Too bad the writing is so incredibly cheesy. The father calls her daughter "Pumpkin" repeatedly. Who writes that kind of stuff in this day and age? As Kate digs deeper into the mystery, characters constantly keep telling Kate, "You don't want to know." The author constantly gives the characters insights that no one could deduct in the split seconds they arrive to them. The worst thing is that I did not find that I cared about any of the characters including Kate. It's not a story about a girl, who's really smart and clever, but a girl who reacts emotionally to everything, which I found to be painfully realistic and extremely annoying. The ending offers no satisfaction whatsoever. I went looking for some mindless entertainment and found the epitome of a mass market paperback that went right through me with less substance than a cinnamon roll. Edited January 3, 2012 by electricrelish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missoula Griz Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 596 Switch, written by Ryan Leaf. Pretty easy read. It covers his high school senior year through the loss in the Rose Bowl to Michigan. He does a lot of apologizing during the book, and gives you his unique perspective, and how immature he was during his college years, not being prepared for the NFL. I think the book was a much needed therapy session for him. If you can look past his grammar, you should enjoy this book. It was hard to put down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Kill Alex Cross by Patterson. A fun read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Fevre Dream by George RR Martin Vampires on the Mississippi River during the steamboat era. Good read. Fun times. 4/5 stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Fevre Dream by George RR Martin Vampires on the Mississippi River during the steamboat era. Good read. Fun times. 4/5 stars yup read that a year or 2 ago. not bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 " The joy of solo sex" Theodoric Landry Bone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 (edited) The twitters were buzzing about The Hunger Games so I downloaded it last week. Finished it in 5 days - good read. The 2nd book isn't as good. Edited January 24, 2012 by twiley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 The twitters were buzzing about The Hunger Games so I downloaded it last week. Finished it in 5 days - good read. The 2nd book isn't as good. third one is the best i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 third one is the best i think Sweet - I'm dragging through the second one - just not grabbing my attention. Might be all the lovey-dovey bullcrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I'm enjoying Devil's Gate by Cussler right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 No wonder I can't beat you at Words with Friends...you actually read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 The twitters were buzzing about The Hunger Games so I downloaded it last week. Finished it in 5 days - good read. The 2nd book isn't as good. I only made it through the fiirst one. Very young adult level, but a good story. Been reading a couple of photography books (The Art of Photography - Barnbaum & Chasing the Light - Ibarionex Perello) and some oldies from my collection. Nothing new. Did hit Barnes and Noble with the Mrs. tonight. She loaded up her Nook and I walked away empty handed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) I only made it through the fiirst one. Very young adult level, but a good story. Don't read the second one then. Edited January 27, 2012 by twiley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vote Quimby2 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Almost done with Shadow Ops:Control Point by Myke Cole. It's a military meets fantasy book. I'm enjoying it. It's pretty quick paced with plenty of action and raises some fun questions on how society would react if magic was prevalent. Next up to read is Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. I never read Hunger Games since I saw it was YA book. However, I did see the Japanese flick Battle Royale which sounds like the same premise. I found it to be pretty good/funny, but saw it some time ago. Edit to include links. Edited February 16, 2012 by Vote Quimby2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 For those who care, Brandon Sanderson just announced the last book in the WoT series, A memory of Light, will be out next Jan 8. I can't wait because he'll be able to get back into his other stuff instead of finishing someone else's yarn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Read Brad Thor's Full Black this week. Great plot - thin writing. Also picked up Vonnagut's Hocus Pocus - damn funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Lets see...finished Meltzer's The Zero Game. It was OK. Some of the scenes at the end got a little too drawn out. Then finished up Ready Player One. Really enjoyed that one. Finally got back to Cemetary Dance by Preston and Child. Still really like the Pendergast series. About 150 pages into Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn. Just like Extreme Measures which iread last year pretty good action political thriller but Flynns hard right politics shine thru a bit too much sometimes leaving his characters a little too black and white (conservative good, liberal bad) and stereotypical. Still makes for a good read though. Just being introduced to Mitch Rapp but i immediately want to compare to Jack Bauer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 Finished Transfer of Power and started Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 ...started Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Ah, that's a fun book. Have you read Anansi Boys? Re-discovered the library; stuff that I've read recently or is on the dock: Color Blind by Ellis Cose - the writer takes on race in America; he's liberal-ish but not dogmatically so - his chapter on affirmative action present both sides in a fairly even-handed manner. Maybe it's just because I agree with him for the most part on it (summary of his view is "it is a necessary evil, which makes it problematic in many respects, but still necessary at this point in time") The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley - the guy who wrote Flags of Our Fathers takes on Teddy Roosevelt's post-Spanish American War blundering in the Pacific/Asia, with a historical overview of US actions in that area from 1850-1905. Might not want to read it if you think America is the superbestest country ever. The War That Came Early(series) by Harry Turtledove - alternate history where WW II started when Germany rolled into Czechoslovakia. It's OK - interesting premise, the writing is kinda spotty. 1491 - about the pre-Columbian Americas. Just started it. Seems intriguing so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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