posted on February 25, 2001 11:20:05 AM
Haven't seen a good book thread running recently...
I just polished off 'Even Steven' by John Gilstrap, one of my new favs.. I've read all three of his books and just love him!
I'm also into Carolyn Hart lately.
Duh...my apologies to xardon. As soon as I posted this, I saw the title for the Funny Books thread. Sigh.
posted on February 25, 2001 11:53:24 AM
Aloha, K-cat,
No problem. Book threads are always a treat.
I've just finished Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. It's a well researched novel of historical fiction dealing with the battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. All boy's of a certain age recall with some fondness the movie 300 Spartans and its stirring account of Spartan courage against the Persian invaders. "Send in the Immortals" is a quote that most of us can recall. This book allowed me to revisit the scene and view it from a new, but still thrilling, perspective.
I've just begun to read a novel by Douglas E Winter called RUN. It's an action thriller written in a gritty, idiosyncratic, first person narrative. It's a clever book about gunrunning and has held my interest so far.
Speaking of thrillers, I recently read a remarkable book called Ice Station by Matt Reilly. It's not great literature but it is unique. From the first page to the last the action in this novel is non-stop. I've never seen an author maintain such a pace before.....and it is a fun read.
-egregious spelling errors.
[ edited by xardon on Feb 25, 2001 12:39 PM ]
[ edited by xardon on Feb 25, 2001 12:42 PM ]
posted on February 25, 2001 12:35:44 PM
Right now, I am reading "Cider House Rules", by John Irving, along with "Le Morte D'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory, and "Enter Whining Fran Drescher", by...well who else but "The Nanny"...
I like having several books started; saves me from getting bored. So far, no problem remembering where I left off on any book
I love Travel books, Greek/Roman ancient history, ANYTHING about Alexander The Great, some Historical Novels, particularly about early English History, such as Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth the 1st, Henry the VIII. I also enjoy science fiction, particularly dealaing with medical research, such as in "The Experiment", and some good, fun Detective stories....
posted on February 25, 2001 01:34:51 PM
Gosh Shosh, I'm also an Alexander the Great fan. I also do the historical novel, usually nothing after Elizabeth I. Medieval mysteries are my favorite "just for fun" books.
I'm listening to Papillon on tape while I do my knitting.
posted on February 25, 2001 02:47:24 PM
I just picked up 2 books, neither of which I've started yet:
Nothing but the Truth - John Lescroart
Cold Case - Stephen White
I'm not familiar with either writer.
After 15 chapters, I had to give up on Scott Turow's Personal Injuries. I just couldn't get into it; cared absolutely nothing about any of the characters. Maybe I'll try again later.
I find myself becoming more and more interested in American history, particularly the Revolutionary War, but would like to learn more about some of our presidents, also.
posted on February 25, 2001 04:05:32 PMhelnjoe...What a man, hey? 33, and he had already done it all! including dying ....Did you read the "Persian Boy", by Mary Renault? She wrote 9 historical novels about ancient Greece, including the story of the Minoan Society of ancient Crete (The King must die" and "Bull from the sea"; also the masque of Apollo", "The last of the wine", "The praise singer", "Fire from Heaven" (a short biography of Alexander as a youth), and "The Nature of Alexander", a factual biography.
I visited the Knossos Palace in Crete, and got goose-bumps, so awed I was! But then I was awed by Greece, period!
femme I just bought "Nothing but the truth" also. Looks intriguing. Planning on starting tonight...
posted on February 25, 2001 05:35:32 PM
femme, I tried to read a Scott Turow once too, and the same thing happened... only I never made it as far as chapter 15; I think I burned out on about chapter 2...
Oh, I'll tell you who else I like: Perri O'Shaughnessy. It's actually 2 sisters that live in Tahoe and write together. Good stuff, too. Legal thrillers.
posted on February 26, 2001 05:38:28 AM
Just finished
the 'Mammoth Hunters' and 'Valley of the Horses' and 'Plains of Passage' by Jean M. Auel
[ edited by toomanycomics on Feb 26, 2001 05:39 AM ]
posted on February 26, 2001 05:46:47 AM
"The Jukebox Queen of Malta" by Nicholas Rinaldi - Simon & Schuster - It's a new Catch 22 type deal - but funnier.
posted on February 26, 2001 06:49:48 AM
Just finished "On Human Bondage". Moved on to one of Ann Rule's true crime book - which always make me lock the doors again, even in the tiny town that I live in!!
posted on February 26, 2001 07:13:47 AM
Hi Sosh, I first read about Alexander the Great in The Persion Boy. After that I was hooked on him. He literally did it all! The closest I got to him was when I met a woman whose son was marring a girl from Macedonia. LOL
posted on February 26, 2001 07:19:11 AM
Made a 5 hour drive to Ohio this weekend and as I was going out the door grabbed C.J. Cherryh's Foreiner off my eBay to sell pile to have something to read. I enjoyed it even better than the first time. The main character deals with an alien race on their world who are deceptively human in appearance but hard wired very different emotionally so that it is difficult to deal with them.
posted on February 26, 2001 08:26:33 AM
I really must quit buying new books to read.
On my already-have-but-must-read shelf I have:
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (re-read)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (can't believe I never read the book)
The Life of Elizabeth I (Allison Weir)
Mary, Queen of Scots (Antonia Fraser)
I have other English history books I would like to re-read. Would like to read a biography of Peter the Great, also.
And, now that I am in American history mode, I bought some books at auction:
The War of the Revolution 2 Vols. (Christopher Ward)
Life of George Washington (Washington Irving)
I best hope I live a very looonnnggg time if I want to get through all of these.
posted on February 26, 2001 08:57:25 AM
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is also sitting in my "To Read" pile
I just could not get through CJCherryh's Foreigner. After the first couple of chapters I gave up and sold the book on Amazon. Cherryh is a very well liked author so I think it's just me and my poor attention span.
posted on February 26, 2001 09:37:26 AM
deco, I LOVE Grisham! My two favs of his are The Testament and The Street Lawyer. I have The Brethren but haven't read it yet... it'll be next.
posted on February 26, 2001 10:13:30 AM
I really enjoy well researched works of historical fiction. The combination of entertainment and a history lesson is very appealing to me. I also like a book with an epic sweep. My first encounter with this particular style was probably in the novels of James Michener. He would begin a book somewhere in the primordial ooze and proceed to the present day.
Edward Rutherfurd's novels carry this conceit to new heights. Sarum, London, and Russka span more than 10,000 years of history. For those who enjoy English history, the first two are a delight.
Gary Jennings in Aztec and The Journeyer recreates ancient cultures in a vivid and all too real manner. His books are amazing.
Years ago, I read a book called Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebe Hill. It made me want to be a Sioux warrior. It was allegedly written in English, translated into Lakotah, and then re-translated back to English. For weeks afterwards I found myself speaking in the curious inflections and verbal constructs of the novel.
A novelty of the historical genre that I came across recently is Nevermore by
Harold Schecter. Imagine Edgar Allen Poe and Davy Crockett teaming up in 19th C. Baltimore to solve a murder mystery. The author seems to have captured Poe's voice in ordinary dialogue.
As for C.J. Cherryh, I think of her as a writer of SF for women. Those few books of hers that I've read seemed very "empowering".
posted on February 26, 2001 11:22:18 AM
I am reading a book so bad I can't even remember the name of it, but I have been reading it for over a week and read about 200 pages and it's got about 700. I REALLY need a trip to the library. All I know is that someone keeps remembering when they were in 60s Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge are coming-- but then we're back in the US but I don't know what time period, then we're back in Cambodia but it's the 80s, not the 60s, and everyone is named Khieu. Except someone is named Tracy. And they have detailed sex alot and there's a ballerina in there somewhere.
posted on February 26, 2001 11:45:53 AM
Just finished "Upside Down" by Eduardo Galleano (a stunning book that reveals some disturbing perspectives on the US's role in the world and what it really means to be dirt poor in a third world country) and am currently reading "Ghostwritten" by David Mitchell.
I've also got a huge backlog of books to read, including "I'd Hate Myself in the Morning" by Ring Lardner, Jr. (the title refers to Lardner's statement when HUAC asked him to name names during the Red Scare. He replied, "I would, but I'd hate myself in the morning)." and Ron Moody's new book of short stories.
posted on February 26, 2001 12:15:52 PM
Memories and Visions of Paradise by Richard Heinberg. It explores different Paradise myths, and then searches for archeological/anthropological evidence of a "lost Paradise".
posted on February 26, 2001 01:03:52 PM
I've just started reading the O'Reilly factor. "The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life".
On the night stand, to be read next, is Unlimited Access.
posted on February 27, 2001 05:34:43 PM
Since I discovered Nora Roberts last summer she is all I have been reading. At least 3 novels a month.
I did take a brief break and read about criminals in the NFL. I recently won a copy of "Sex And The City" by C. Bushnell that I plan on reading once I get it.
Besides Nora my favorite authors are Tabitha King and Luanne Rice. I love trashy novels!
who else but "The Nanny"...
Actually, I'm more into paperback literature.
The many faces of Muriel
....Did you read the "Persian Boy", by Mary Renault? She wrote 9 historical novels about ancient Greece, including the story of the Minoan Society of ancient Crete (The King must die" and "Bull from the sea"; also the masque of Apollo", "The last of the wine", "The praise singer", "Fire from Heaven" (a short biography of Alexander as a youth), and "The Nature of Alexander", a factual biography.
