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The New Coffee Room

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  3. What are you reading now?

What are you reading now?

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  • George KG George K

    @george-k said in What are you reading now?:

    So far, it's VERY James Bond-like. Interesting, perhaps unrelated opening, flashback to past missions, etc.
    Oh, and it was written by someone I knew, back in another life.

    Yeah, it was okay.

    Not "blow me away I want MOAR" away, but a pleasant-enough waste of a few hours where you don't feel like you wasted a few hours.

    Nice twists in the last ¼ of the book.

    I was going to start this (and got about 10% of the way through it), but got, well, not bored, but "I'm not ready for this again," so I gave up - for now.

    61cParSJTJL.jpg

    I think I'll do some more Bosch instead.

    George KG Offline
    George KG Offline
    George K
    wrote on last edited by
    #440

    @george-k said in What are you reading now?:

    I'll do some more Bosch instead.

    image.jpeg

    Halfway done. Another good tale. Eleanor Wish returns, and Lt. Billetts is introduced.

    "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

    The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

    1 Reply Last reply
    • kluursK Offline
      kluursK Offline
      kluurs
      wrote on last edited by
      #441

      Haven't posted in here in a while - currently reading The Education of Henry Adams - a memoir that could be written by Aqua if he were living back in the 19th century.

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      Read recently

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      1 Reply Last reply
      • George KG Offline
        George KG Offline
        George K
        wrote on last edited by
        #442

        5172dBvaxAL.AC_UY436_QL65.jpg

        "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

        The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

        1 Reply Last reply
        • George KG Offline
          George KG Offline
          George K
          wrote on last edited by
          #443

          Almost finished with "Endurance."

          A very well-told tale which never, ever gets boring.

          It reminds me of "Unbroken," the story of survival of the airmen of a downed B-24 in WWII.

          "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

          The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

          jon-nycJ 1 Reply Last reply
          • George KG Offline
            George KG Offline
            George K
            wrote on last edited by
            #444

            415plL81oaL.SX331_BO1,204,203,200.jpg

            "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

            The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

            1 Reply Last reply
            • George KG Offline
              George KG Offline
              George K
              wrote on last edited by
              #445

              Loved this book. It's, perhaps, one of the more "obscure" LeCarre books. It has all the players you've loved in the past. Guillam, Smiley, Control...

              And yes, the back story of Mundt, Leamas, and Liz.

              Full of flashbacks, flash forwards, etc. Gotta pay attention.

              Gonna re-read "From the Cold" just to enjoy the basis of this story.

              "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

              The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • George KG Offline
                George KG Offline
                George K
                wrote on last edited by
                #446

                But...before I jump into more LeCarre...a short story to keep me engaged.

                41eZqlPaFBL.jpg

                Ben Patton is a genuis, a mathematician and a man on the verge of a scientific discovery that could change the world -- if the math he's invented for it works. Ben's secret to his success: A muse, Hestia, who helps him, cares for him and in many ways is the love of his life, as muses so often are for those they inspire.

                Hestia is Ben's secret -- but Hestia has secrets of her own. As the two of them race toward the completion of their work, Ben discovers the price of having a muse, and learns that the world can change, in ways he does not expect.

                A tale of science and fantasy, from New York Times best-selling author John Scalzi.

                I love Scalzi.

                "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                1 Reply Last reply
                • George KG Offline
                  George KG Offline
                  George K
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #447

                  Short novella. Very not-Scalzi in terms of content (not Sci-fi); very Scalzi in terms of humor and snark.

                  image.jpeg

                  "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                  The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  • George KG Offline
                    George KG Offline
                    George K
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #448

                    OK that was fun, and very, very different. Nice twist at the end.

                    Started this today. Several people on FB have commented that "Consider Phlebas" is not Banks' strongest work. If you recall, I gave up about 75% of the way through, having gotten bored with it.

                    So, to give Banks another shot I started this today (about 40% of the way through it).

                    image.jpeg

                    The Culture — a human/machine symbiotic society — has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy.

                    Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game. . . a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life — and very possibly his death.

                    Yeah, in the same "universe" as "Phlebas," but a much, MUCH, better story.

                    "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                    The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • George KG Offline
                      George KG Offline
                      George K
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #449

                      More Bosch

                      image.jpeg

                      "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                      The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • George KG Offline
                        George KG Offline
                        George K
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #450

                        Oh, between that and the Banks book, I did LeCarre's "Spy Who Came in From the Cold." I enjoyed "A Legacy of Spies" so I thought it might be fun to revisit the premise of LeCarre's penultimate book.

                        "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                        The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        • George KG George K

                          Almost finished with "Endurance."

                          A very well-told tale which never, ever gets boring.

                          It reminds me of "Unbroken," the story of survival of the airmen of a downed B-24 in WWII.

                          jon-nycJ Offline
                          jon-nycJ Offline
                          jon-nyc
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #451

                          @George-K said in What are you reading now?:

                          Almost finished with "Endurance."

                          A very well-told tale which never, ever gets boring.

                          It reminds me of "Unbroken," the story of survival of the airmen of a downed B-24 in WWII.

                          Glad you enjoyed it. Awesome book.

                          Only non-witches get due process.

                          • Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • George KG Offline
                            George KG Offline
                            George K
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #452

                            Just finished "Angel's Flight," the Bosch book.

                            It was not my favorite. It had a really nice twist about ⅔ of the way through, but the ending was a bit of a disappointment.

                            Up next - more Iain M Banks:

                            51RHThKGOEL.AC_UY436_QL65.jpg

                            "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                            The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • George KG George K

                              @george-k said in What are you reading now?:

                              I love, LOVE, Ben MacIntyre's books ("Operation Mincemeat").

                              Started this today...

                              Screen Shot 2022-01-27 at 4.53.31 PM copy.jpg

                              Bumping this for @Renauda who might find it interesting.

                              RenaudaR Offline
                              RenaudaR Offline
                              Renauda
                              wrote on last edited by Renauda
                              #453

                              @George-K said in What are you reading now?:

                              @george-k said in What are you reading now?:

                              I love, LOVE, Ben MacIntyre's books ("Operation Mincemeat").

                              Started this today...

                              Screen Shot 2022-01-27 at 4.53.31 PM copy.jpg

                              Bumping this for @Renauda who might find it interesting.

                              Read it a few years ago. Really good. A genuine page turner.

                              Elbows up!

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              • George KG Offline
                                George KG Offline
                                George K
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #454

                                Return to "Dune."

                                About 100 pages in...so far, meh.

                                It seems like the desire to spin-out spin-offs is causing the ability to write creative stories is winning. The words that kept coming to me as I started were "cash cow."

                                image.jpeg

                                "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                George KG 1 Reply Last reply
                                • George KG George K

                                  Return to "Dune."

                                  About 100 pages in...so far, meh.

                                  It seems like the desire to spin-out spin-offs is causing the ability to write creative stories is winning. The words that kept coming to me as I started were "cash cow."

                                  image.jpeg

                                  George KG Offline
                                  George KG Offline
                                  George K
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #455

                                  @George-K said in What are you reading now?:

                                  Return to "Dune."

                                  About 100 pages in...so far, meh.

                                  Actually not too bad. Pretty predictable, and with the multiple storylines (The Sisterhood, the Mentats, the Navigators, the Venport industries) the tale is limber enough to keep your interest.

                                  Oh, and, of course, Arrakis.

                                  Got about 100 pages left.

                                  Popcorn's pretty good.

                                  *** out of **** stars so far.

                                  "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                  The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  • George KG Offline
                                    George KG Offline
                                    George K
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #456

                                    Taking a deep, deep dive into the "Dune" universe, I finished "Sisterhood" a few days ago. I stand by my original thoughts. A very satisfying tale, and it makes you want to get to the next story.

                                    So, today, I finished this:

                                    image.jpeg

                                    It's basically a continuation of "Sisterhood," and my thoughts are exactly the same. Very satisfying popcorn that makes you want more, so, today, I started this:

                                    https://images-na.ssl-imagimage.jpeg es-amazon.com/images/I/91mTFk88YpL.jpg

                                    "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                    The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    • George KG Offline
                                      George KG Offline
                                      George K
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #457

                                      I have about ⅔ of the last "Dune" book left, and it's okay. Very predictable in terms of character development, etc. Popcorn, as I said. Not great popcorn, but okay popcorn.

                                      When I finish that, I'm going to queue this up:

                                      Screen Shot 2022-03-12 at 8.36.37 AM.png

                                      "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                      The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      • jon-nycJ Offline
                                        jon-nycJ Offline
                                        jon-nyc
                                        wrote on last edited by jon-nyc
                                        #458

                                        Just finished this:

                                        7C1AA53A-F7F7-4027-AE9E-167C2ACFCB90.jpeg

                                        Rather disappointing on account of being so vague. Like critical legal theory texts I’ve read, it tends to be long on complaints about liberal/enlightenment values and short on remedy or policy.

                                        I’m now about halfway through Derrick Bell’s book:

                                        F4AF8595-0724-462D-A9E5-82E420D53AB2.jpeg

                                        It’s well written, and even though it is a collection of fictive short stories or parables it’s far more substantive than Delgado and Stefancic’s introduction.

                                        It does come across as a bit dated, as he’s describing institutional environments that were mostly gone by the time I started my career. Still a very worthy read.

                                        Only non-witches get due process.

                                        • Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        • George KG Offline
                                          George KG Offline
                                          George K
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #459

                                          I cheated, and continued my dive into the Dune-iverse. Was gonna start Barr's book, but...well, you know how it goes.

                                          Finished this today.

                                          image.jpeg

                                          It jumps forward about 10K years from the other prequels (Sisterhood, Navigators, Mentats) and puts you about 30 years before the original book. The Harkonnen/Atreides feud continues.

                                          There are 3 in the series, but I'll take a pause for a while.

                                          Started this today. Kind of interesting reading this guy's remembrances of early East Germany and his parents' indoctrination into the Soviet line of thinking.

                                          image.jpeg

                                          More on the author here:

                                          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Barsky

                                          "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                          The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                          jon-nycJ George KG 2 Replies Last reply
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