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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

    It's been decades since I read this, and I really have little memory of what the plot line is, or whether I liked it. So, an opportunity to revisit.

    image.jpeg

    I'm only about 10% into it...not sure it's aged as well as "Ringworld" or other books by Niven.

    JollyJ Offline
    JollyJ Offline
    Jolly
    wrote on last edited by
    #544

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

    It's been decades since I read this, and I really have little memory of what the plot line is, or whether I liked it. So, an opportunity to revisit.

    image.jpeg

    I'm only about 10% into it...not sure it's aged as well as "Ringworld" or other books by Niven.

    It's still good. I prefer Lucifer's Hammer. Footfall is ok, too.

    “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
    • kluursK kluurs

      On one of the bookaholic sites on FB, I saw several people recommend The Stand. Our library system has it available for audio listening - so I decided to put 48 hours into listening to it while running or doing house stuff. Apparently, King wrote a long version, but the publisher asked him to cut 400 pages.. Post publication, there was a suggestion to release the original monster version - and thus - a 48 hour listen. It
      s not bad. The premise is solid - an Andromeda Strain kind of thing where a pathogen is eleased from a lab. It is 99.5% fatal and highly infectious. The US is reduced to a population of around 2 million. That results in no small number of challenges. The things that work less well for me are his mystical/spiritual components. Still, I enjoyed the read if no other reason it shows the fragility of mankind - and how much we depend upon a social order.

      18a1f7fa-5dc1-48be-b4d2-4380c29685e7-image.png

      George KG Offline
      George KG Offline
      George K
      wrote on last edited by
      #545

      @kluurs said in What are you reading now?:

      The Stand.

      I tried to read it back in 1990 or so. Just couldn't get into it. As you say, a good solid premise, but it tends to go off the rails in a "Walking Dead" kind of way.

      Gimme sci-fi, good and hard. When you start mixing in mysticism and all that, you've lost me.

      There was (is?) a series called "Station 11." Same basic premise, about the collapse of society after a virus sweeps the world. I gave up after about 4 episodes.

      "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 kluurs

        On one of the bookaholic sites on FB, I saw several people recommend The Stand. Our library system has it available for audio listening - so I decided to put 48 hours into listening to it while running or doing house stuff. Apparently, King wrote a long version, but the publisher asked him to cut 400 pages.. Post publication, there was a suggestion to release the original monster version - and thus - a 48 hour listen. It
        s not bad. The premise is solid - an Andromeda Strain kind of thing where a pathogen is eleased from a lab. It is 99.5% fatal and highly infectious. The US is reduced to a population of around 2 million. That results in no small number of challenges. The things that work less well for me are his mystical/spiritual components. Still, I enjoyed the read if no other reason it shows the fragility of mankind - and how much we depend upon a social order.

        18a1f7fa-5dc1-48be-b4d2-4380c29685e7-image.png

        bachophileB Offline
        bachophileB Offline
        bachophile
        wrote on last edited by
        #546

        @kluurs I loved it. Read it In high school I think and then returned to read the unedited version when released, I think even followed along with a US Atlas to understand fully the geography.

        It’s one of those books from my adolescence that sticks in my memory, like the lord of the rings.

        1 Reply Last reply
        • Aqua LetiferA Offline
          Aqua LetiferA Offline
          Aqua Letifer
          wrote on last edited by
          #547

          Currently nerding out over this: a collection of O.G. Robin Hood stories. (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

          What's interesting is that it's really hard to say who can truly own Robin Hood stories: the gentry, or the peasants? We all think of Robin today as a peasant champion. But the earliest recorded stories, by virtue of them being recorded, came from the educated population. And to them, Robin was a kind of aristo Keyser Söze—be too greedy or too harsh on the great unwashed, and Robin Hood's gonna come and murder you, then abscond to the forest and no one's gonna know what happened.

          I agree with this guy's assessment that Robin's an anti-King Arthur. That's true in basically every respect. Even in what's recorded. Arthur gets books and official canon, Robin gets an assemblage of ballads, May Day plays and mummery.

          Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales.jpeg

          Please love yourself.

          George KG Aqua LetiferA 2 Replies Last reply
          • Aqua LetiferA Aqua Letifer

            Currently nerding out over this: a collection of O.G. Robin Hood stories. (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

            What's interesting is that it's really hard to say who can truly own Robin Hood stories: the gentry, or the peasants? We all think of Robin today as a peasant champion. But the earliest recorded stories, by virtue of them being recorded, came from the educated population. And to them, Robin was a kind of aristo Keyser Söze—be too greedy or too harsh on the great unwashed, and Robin Hood's gonna come and murder you, then abscond to the forest and no one's gonna know what happened.

            I agree with this guy's assessment that Robin's an anti-King Arthur. That's true in basically every respect. Even in what's recorded. Arthur gets books and official canon, Robin gets an assemblage of ballads, May Day plays and mummery.

            Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales.jpeg

            George KG Offline
            George KG Offline
            George K
            wrote on last edited by
            #548

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

            (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

            I'll take your word for that.

            "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

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

              (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

              I'll take your word for that.

              Aqua LetiferA Offline
              Aqua LetiferA Offline
              Aqua Letifer
              wrote on last edited by
              #549

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

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

              (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

              I'll take your word for that.

              Wussy. 😄 If you can do anatomy, you can do this. (Not that you'd want to, I get it.)

              Please love yourself.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • taiwan_girlT Offline
                taiwan_girlT Offline
                taiwan_girl
                wrote on last edited by
                #550

                Not really a individual book, but came across this app.

                (PS, I think people on this forum page read more than the general public, so maybe this is not applicable.)

                Anyway, the "premise" is that you chose a classic book, and the app sends you a 20 minute portion to read each day.

                War and Peace takes something like 200 or 3oo segments, while others take much less.

                https://www.serialreader.org

                (PS again - I haven't actually tried it, so cant comment on how good or bad it is. 5555)

                Catseye3C 1 Reply Last reply
                • taiwan_girlT taiwan_girl

                  Not really a individual book, but came across this app.

                  (PS, I think people on this forum page read more than the general public, so maybe this is not applicable.)

                  Anyway, the "premise" is that you chose a classic book, and the app sends you a 20 minute portion to read each day.

                  War and Peace takes something like 200 or 3oo segments, while others take much less.

                  https://www.serialreader.org

                  (PS again - I haven't actually tried it, so cant comment on how good or bad it is. 5555)

                  Catseye3C Offline
                  Catseye3C Offline
                  Catseye3
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #551

                  @taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

                  (PS, I think people on this forum page read more than the general public, so maybe this is not applicable.)
                  Anyway, the "premise" is that you chose a classic book, and the app sends you a 20 minute portion to read each day.

                  Yeah, I can't get too excited about such a thing. If reading is such a challenge that you have to be spoon fed segments according to the wisdom of some app, then maybe you should take up a hobby or something.

                  Okay, that was probably unnecessarily snotty, but reading should bring joy, should bring fulfillment. The real schande is that joy in reading is not more widely cultivated.

                  Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka

                  Aqua LetiferA 1 Reply Last reply
                  • Catseye3C Catseye3

                    @taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

                    (PS, I think people on this forum page read more than the general public, so maybe this is not applicable.)
                    Anyway, the "premise" is that you chose a classic book, and the app sends you a 20 minute portion to read each day.

                    Yeah, I can't get too excited about such a thing. If reading is such a challenge that you have to be spoon fed segments according to the wisdom of some app, then maybe you should take up a hobby or something.

                    Okay, that was probably unnecessarily snotty, but reading should bring joy, should bring fulfillment. The real schande is that joy in reading is not more widely cultivated.

                    Aqua LetiferA Offline
                    Aqua LetiferA Offline
                    Aqua Letifer
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #552

                    @Catseye3 said in What are you reading now?:

                    @taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

                    (PS, I think people on this forum page read more than the general public, so maybe this is not applicable.)
                    Anyway, the "premise" is that you chose a classic book, and the app sends you a 20 minute portion to read each day.

                    Yeah, I can't get too excited about such a thing. If reading is such a challenge that you have to be spoon fed segments according to the wisdom of some app, then maybe you should take up a hobby or something.

                    Many great novels of the 19th and 20th centuries were serialized. That's how most of our classics were originally read.

                    Please love yourself.

                    George KG JollyJ 2 Replies Last reply
                    • Aqua LetiferA Aqua Letifer

                      @Catseye3 said in What are you reading now?:

                      @taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

                      (PS, I think people on this forum page read more than the general public, so maybe this is not applicable.)
                      Anyway, the "premise" is that you chose a classic book, and the app sends you a 20 minute portion to read each day.

                      Yeah, I can't get too excited about such a thing. If reading is such a challenge that you have to be spoon fed segments according to the wisdom of some app, then maybe you should take up a hobby or something.

                      Many great novels of the 19th and 20th centuries were serialized. That's how most of our classics were originally read.

                      George KG Offline
                      George KG Offline
                      George K
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #553

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

                      Many great novels of the 19th and 20th centuries were serialized. That's how most of our classics were originally read.

                      Isn't that how Dickens made a living - pay per word?

                      "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
                      • Aqua LetiferA Aqua Letifer

                        Currently nerding out over this: a collection of O.G. Robin Hood stories. (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

                        What's interesting is that it's really hard to say who can truly own Robin Hood stories: the gentry, or the peasants? We all think of Robin today as a peasant champion. But the earliest recorded stories, by virtue of them being recorded, came from the educated population. And to them, Robin was a kind of aristo Keyser Söze—be too greedy or too harsh on the great unwashed, and Robin Hood's gonna come and murder you, then abscond to the forest and no one's gonna know what happened.

                        I agree with this guy's assessment that Robin's an anti-King Arthur. That's true in basically every respect. Even in what's recorded. Arthur gets books and official canon, Robin gets an assemblage of ballads, May Day plays and mummery.

                        Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales.jpeg

                        Aqua LetiferA Offline
                        Aqua LetiferA Offline
                        Aqua Letifer
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #554

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

                        Currently nerding out over this: a collection of O.G. Robin Hood stories. (It's in Middle English, which eres moste harkyn too, but it's a hell of a lot easier than Old English.)

                        I'm actually having a go at translating the first one into modern english. Because why the fuck not.

                        The form's easy to work with, and I'm taking massive liberties with lines and stanzas, but no details are being removed or altered. I'm also finding it challenging to keep the original voice of the ballad without either failing, or sounding old-timey. (For example, Robin talks to Little John about returning to mass on Whitson, which, no one would know what that means. But the time of year speaks directly to the sense of place in ways we no longer appreciate. It'd be a sin to ignore the reference. So I went with White Sunday.)

                        Please love yourself.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        • George KG George K

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

                          Many great novels of the 19th and 20th centuries were serialized. That's how most of our classics were originally read.

                          Isn't that how Dickens made a living - pay per word?

                          Aqua LetiferA Offline
                          Aqua LetiferA Offline
                          Aqua Letifer
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #555

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

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

                          Many great novels of the 19th and 20th centuries were serialized. That's how most of our classics were originally read.

                          Isn't that how Dickens made a living - pay per word?

                          👍

                          Please love yourself.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • George KG Offline
                            George KG Offline
                            George K
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #556

                            About ⅔ of the way through this. Good story, and the storytelling is "tighter" than it's been in a while.

                            th-2344053428.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.

                            taiwan_girlT 1 Reply Last reply
                            • George KG George K

                              About ⅔ of the way through this. Good story, and the storytelling is "tighter" than it's been in a while.

                              th-2344053428.jpeg

                              taiwan_girlT Offline
                              taiwan_girlT Offline
                              taiwan_girl
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #557

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

                              About ⅔ of the way through this. Good story, and the storytelling is "tighter" than it's been in a while.

                              th-2344053428.jpeg

                              I am actually reading the very first one (The Black Echo) based on your suggestion. So far, so good.

                              George KG 1 Reply Last reply
                              • taiwan_girlT taiwan_girl

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

                                About ⅔ of the way through this. Good story, and the storytelling is "tighter" than it's been in a while.

                                th-2344053428.jpeg

                                I am actually reading the very first one (The Black Echo) based on your suggestion. So far, so good.

                                George KG Offline
                                George KG Offline
                                George K
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #558

                                @taiwan_girl said in What are you reading now?:

                                I am actually reading the very first one (The Black Echo) based on your suggestion. So far, so good.

                                The thing about the Bosch books is that, although they're "sequels" in the sense that each occurs later in the timeline, only two really depend on knowing what happened in the preceding book.

                                You can start with book #15 and you won't feel lost. There are allusions to characters and stories told in earlier books, but the plot doesn't depend on your knowledge of these.

                                They're also a quick, easy, read. I hope to finish this tomorrow.

                                "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
                                  #559

                                  Why not?

                                  Finished this this evening....

                                  9780316225892_p0_v30_s1200x630.jpg

                                  Really a fun read, and just different enough from the preceding books.

                                  • Bosch is no longer with LAPD
                                  • Mickey Haller - "The Lincoln Lawyer" is a major player in the story. And he's Bosch's half-brother
                                  • Bosch works to exonerate someone accused of murder

                                  "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
                                  • RenaudaR Offline
                                    RenaudaR Offline
                                    Renauda
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #560

                                    Finally finishing Ian Toll’s trilogy about the war in the Pacific 1941 - 1945. Well researched and written narrative. Worth reading.

                                    Elbows up!

                                    JollyJ 1 Reply Last reply
                                    • Aqua LetiferA Offline
                                      Aqua LetiferA Offline
                                      Aqua Letifer
                                      wrote on last edited by Aqua Letifer
                                      #561

                                      C05CFEBE-196B-40B0-8D07-D86E5646E7E9.jpeg

                                      Fun. Kind of a "Stephen King does Grimm's Fairy Tales."

                                      Please love yourself.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      • George KG Offline
                                        George KG Offline
                                        George K
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #562

                                        Just continuing the deep dive into the LA crime scene.

                                        Seeing Mickey Haller in the last Bosch book I read got me intrigued.

                                        Halfway done with this.

                                        819Ll7tcUqL.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 George K
                                          #563

                                          You know how you fall into a YouTube rabbit hole?

                                          Well, that's happened with the Bosch Universe>

                                          Finished "The Lincoln Lawyer" this AM, and started the next in the series.

                                          The Brass Verdict

                                          image.jpeg

                                          This is the book upon which the Amazon (?) series is grounded. It starts with the 2nd book of the Mickey Haller series (the first book, "The Lincoln Lawyer," having been done as a movie. About ¼ of the way thru.

                                          Fun...

                                          "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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