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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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  • LuFins DadL LuFins Dad

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

    @Aqua-Letifer said in What are you reading now?:

    Every Ballard book is about 50/50.

    Ahh...

    How are the Audio versions of these?

    George KG Offline
    George KG Offline
    George K
    wrote on last edited by
    #699

    @LuFins-Dad said in What are you reading now?:

    How are the Audio versions of these?

    The later Bosch books are read by Welliver. They're good.

    "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.

    Aqua LetiferA 1 Reply Last reply
    • George KG George K

      @LuFins-Dad said in What are you reading now?:

      How are the Audio versions of these?

      The later Bosch books are read by Welliver. They're good.

      Aqua LetiferA Offline
      Aqua LetiferA Offline
      Aqua Letifer
      wrote on last edited by
      #700

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

      @LuFins-Dad said in What are you reading now?:

      How are the Audio versions of these?

      The later Bosch books are read by Welliver. They're good.

      The earlier ones narrated by Dick Hill are very good, but he does interpret the characters different from the shows (or from Welliver). But they're solid.

      There's a third guy who sucks, though.

      Please love yourself.

      1 Reply Last reply
      • bachophileB Offline
        bachophileB Offline
        bachophile
        wrote on last edited by bachophile
        #701

        3ba17843-aad0-4279-a3a1-adee6065f81c-image.jpeg

        If u know the John Corey series, this is the latest installment. Very New York. The usual John Corey sarcasm.

        Actually and by amazing coincidence, it just came out before the gilgo beach murderer was arrested. The book fictionalizes that case.

        1 Reply Last reply
        • JonJ Offline
          JonJ Offline
          Jon
          wrote on last edited by
          #702

          I’ve got two audiobooks going, I’m switching back and forth depending on the background task. The Shirer requires a bit more attention be paid.

          IMG_0533.jpeg

          I have read his Rise and Fall of the Third Reich I believe 3 times. Like that book, this is also quite interesting and informed by his personal experiences as he lived in Paris from 1925 until the early 30s, and then later when he had to leave Germany.

          IMG_0534.jpeg

          This is a good casual read, he’s had an interesting life.

          jon-nycJ 1 Reply Last reply
          • George KG Offline
            George KG Offline
            George K
            wrote on last edited by
            #703

            Binging along...

            Finished this yesterday...

            image.jpeg

            And about halfway through this today...

            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
            • Aqua LetiferA Offline
              Aqua LetiferA Offline
              Aqua Letifer
              wrote on last edited by
              #704

              @George-K very much enjoyed both. If you get to Desert Star, be interested to hear how you liked it.

              I'm currently on:

              B10075A5-C8BB-4C93-A824-C8899F3C658C.jpeg

              Please love yourself.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • bachophileB Offline
                bachophileB Offline
                bachophile
                wrote on last edited by bachophile
                #705

                1cebf532-a353-49b0-8c9a-277e5e0718a2-image.jpeg

                jon-nycJ 1 Reply Last reply
                • taiwan_girlT Offline
                  taiwan_girlT Offline
                  taiwan_girl
                  wrote on last edited by taiwan_girl
                  #706

                  Just happened to read two books that are set in the Midevil times.

                  The first:

                  alt text

                  Kind of a fun book. Not too difficult or "academic". Takes a look at different topics in 1300's England; eating, lodging, markets, etc. Very easy read.

                  The second one is much more interesting

                  alt text

                  The story of the painting of the Sistine Chapel in Rome by Michelangelo.

                  Quite fascinating and interesting story about how it happened. Michelangelo really was quite a genius. (On a side, I have always heard a story that he painted this while on his back. Not true. LOL Also quite interesting was how to paint on fresco).

                  Recommended!!

                  George KG 1 Reply Last reply
                  • taiwan_girlT taiwan_girl

                    Just happened to read two books that are set in the Midevil times.

                    The first:

                    alt text

                    Kind of a fun book. Not too difficult or "academic". Takes a look at different topics in 1300's England; eating, lodging, markets, etc. Very easy read.

                    The second one is much more interesting

                    alt text

                    The story of the painting of the Sistine Chapel in Rome by Michelangelo.

                    Quite fascinating and interesting story about how it happened. Michelangelo really was quite a genius. (On a side, I have always heard a story that he painted this while on his back. Not true. LOL Also quite interesting was how to paint on fresco).

                    Recommended!!

                    George KG Offline
                    George KG Offline
                    George K
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #707

                    @taiwan_girl if you enjoyed Mortimer's book (and I haven't read it, yet), you might also like Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life .

                    Bryson is an engaging author who has a knack for making what we consider mundane things fascinating. In this book he writes about how life has changed from the times when today's conveniences and conventions became common.

                    In these pages, the beloved Bill Bryson gives us a fascinating history of the modern home, taking us on a room-by-room tour through his own house and using each room to explore the vast history of the domestic artifacts we take for granted. As he takes us through the history of our modern comforts, Bryson demonstrates that whatever happens in the world eventually ends up in our home, in the paint, the pipes, the pillows, and every item of furniture.

                    For example:

                    “Dining tables were simply boards laid across trestles, and cupboards were just what the name says – plain boards on which cups and other vessels could be arrayed. But there weren’t many of those. Glass vessels were rare and diners were generally expected to share with a neighbour. Eventually cupboards were incorporated into rather more ornate dressers, which have nothing to do with clothing but rather with the preparation, or dressing, of food.

                    In humbler dwellings, matters were generally about as simple as they could be. The dining table was a plain board called by that name. It was hung on the wall when not in use, and was perched on the diners’ knees when food was served. Over time, ‘board’ came to signify not just the dining surface but the meal itself, which is where the ‘board’ comes from in ‘room and board’. It also explains why lodgers are called ‘boarders’ and why an honest person – someone who keeps his hands visible at all times – is said to be above board.”

                    “Seating was on plain benches – in French, bancs, from which comes ‘banquet’. Until the 1600s chairs were rare – the word itself dates only from about 1300 – and were designed not to be comfortable but to impute authority. Even now, of course, the person in charge of a meeting chairs it, and a person in charge of a company is the chairman of the board – a term that additionally, and a little oddly, recalls the dining habits of medieval peasants.”

                    "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
                      #708

                      Finished "The Night Fire" (Bosch and Ballard) this afternoon. Good, but very typical, Bosch/Connelly stuff.

                      "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
                        #709

                        I've been a fan of Reynolds for several years. His "hard" sci-fi has always been dense and at times difficult. Concepts span from one book to another and stuff that doesn't make sense is explained in subsequent books. His "Inhibitor Series" is a huge work.

                        He is an astrophysicist, so much of his writing is grounded in "real" science. For example, his description of a "space elevator" is fantastic.

                        So, I started this today:

                        Screenshot 2023-08-07 at 7.40.52 PM.png

                        The story focuses on Geoffrey and Sunday Akinya, a brother and sister who are members of a powerful African corporate family. Following the death of their influential grandmother Eunice, the siblings begin investigating a series of cryptic messages that Eunice left across the Solar System over the previous century, during her voyages to Pythagoras Crater, Phobos, Pavonis Mons, and the Kuiper Belt.

                        Much, much easier reading than his other works. I'm just "a bit" into it, but it's quite engaging.

                        "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
                        • JollyJ Offline
                          JollyJ Offline
                          Jolly
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #710

                          Currently...

                          alt text

                          “Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”

                          Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • bachophileB bachophile

                            1cebf532-a353-49b0-8c9a-277e5e0718a2-image.jpeg

                            jon-nycJ Offline
                            jon-nycJ Offline
                            jon-nyc
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #711

                            @bachophile said in What are you reading now?:

                            1cebf532-a353-49b0-8c9a-277e5e0718a2-image.jpeg

                            Let us know if you like it.

                            Also, how was the book on Pilate?

                            Only non-witches get due process.

                            • Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
                            bachophileB 1 Reply Last reply
                            • jon-nycJ jon-nyc

                              @bachophile said in What are you reading now?:

                              1cebf532-a353-49b0-8c9a-277e5e0718a2-image.jpeg

                              Let us know if you like it.

                              Also, how was the book on Pilate?

                              bachophileB Offline
                              bachophileB Offline
                              bachophile
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #712

                              @jon-nyc the pilate book was very hard to read, and i eventually gave up on it. there is very little source material on pilate and most of the book seemed to be a lot of conjecture and guessing.

                              otoh, kertzer is amazing. well written, easy to read...and significantly, its based on a lot of new material just released, as Pope Francis has allowed the release of secret archival material which was kept under wraps for many years.

                              so i highly recomment kertzer, the other book, was simply not good.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              • George KG Offline
                                George KG Offline
                                George K
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #713

                                Screenshot 2023-08-20 at 5.08.01 PM.png

                                Book 2 of the "Silo" trilogy by Hugh Howey. The first book was an interesting, though somewhat predictable, take on post-apocalyptic sci-fi.

                                This book is set in the past, describing the events that led to Wool. Much more engaging, with some interesting twists. I'm about ⅓ of the way through it and enjoying it. Later in the book, it ties in with the events of Wool.

                                "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
                                  #714

                                  I hope to finish off the trilogy this weekend. I'm about halfway through the final book.

                                  Good story overall, and the last two books are better than the first, which seems to be more of a preamble than anything else.

                                  Nevertheless, all the mysteries appear to be exposed in this final chapter.

                                  If you're looking for some not-too-difficult sci-fi (unlike Alastair Reynolds), this series might suit you.

                                  Screenshot 2023-08-26 at 8.58.00 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
                                  • JollyJ Offline
                                    JollyJ Offline
                                    Jolly
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #715

                                    alt text

                                    “Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”

                                    Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    • JollyJ Offline
                                      JollyJ Offline
                                      Jolly
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #716

                                      alt text

                                      “Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”

                                      Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      • MikM Offline
                                        MikM Offline
                                        Mik
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #717

                                        I listened to Foundation on the way west. Hadn’t read it since 75. Fabulous story. The tv series loses the beauty of the book entirely.

                                        “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill

                                        George KG 1 Reply Last reply
                                        • MikM Mik

                                          I listened to Foundation on the way west. Hadn’t read it since 75. Fabulous story. The tv series loses the beauty of the book entirely.

                                          George KG Offline
                                          George KG Offline
                                          George K
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #718

                                          @Mik said in What are you reading now?:

                                          The tv series loses the beauty of the book entirely.

                                          No kidding. The TV show isn't bad sci-fi, it's just not Asimov's Foundation. It takes the concept of pre-history and goes from there, to a completely different direction.

                                          I re-read Foundation about 4 years ago. What a great tale.

                                          Meanwhile...

                                          IMG_3623 Large.jpeg

                                          IMG_3624 Large.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
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